


Glass Houses

by Revel_In_It



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Original Character(s), Pining, Slow Burn, Smut, bending the rules, showho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-07-15 04:18:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16055411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revel_In_It/pseuds/Revel_In_It
Summary: When Hoseok comes back into Hyunwoo’s life after years of separation, Hyunwoo isn’t sure he can keep himself, and his rut, under control. But Hoseok’s continued arrests warn Hyunwoo that there is something worse going on with his former lover, so he searches for a way to help them both so no one pays the ultimate price.





	1. Chapter 1

“How many times do I have to tell you- _it wasn’t me_.”

Officer Son Hyunwoo clenched his jaw in discontent and finally decided to acknowledge the boy behind bars. As he turned, he crooked an eyebrow and shook his head. Hoseok looked like a pathetic puppy with his arms hanging out and his forehead pressed against the thick steel bars. Little red lines were blossoming out across his pale skin from the pressure, but it seemed he didn’t care to notice. He was also pouting again, something Hyunwoo had specifically asked him _not_ to do.

Hyunwoo stepped up close to the bars and leaned in, his rich, oakey alpha scent wafting across Hoseok’s face. “And how many times do I have to tell _you_ \- _stop doing illegal shit_.”

Hoseok huffed and reached up to stroke Hyunwoo’s face, drawn in by the full-bodied smell of the alpha, but Hyunwoo pulled away before his fingers could connect. “Come on, hyung,” he pouted. “Gotta keep up appearances, right?”

“ _Hoseok,”_ Hyunwoowarned, feeling himself already dismantling under the weight of the omega’s stare. “I am a _police officer_. _You,_ are a petty thief. The fact that we were best friends growing up doesn’t come into play when _you’re_ the one locked in a cage.”

They’d been down this road more times that either wanted to remember. Hoseok would get in over his head, get caught, and Hyunwoo would have to think up some elaborate plan to get him off the hook with the least amount of backlash. The omega had only been back in their hometown for six months, and he’d already seen the confinements of a cop car and the paint-chipped cell bars in Hyunwoo’s station enough to call them his second home.

“ _Best friends_ ,” Hoseok scoffed. “I guess that’s what _you_ ’d call it.”

“Look, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not exactly stealthy when it comes to stealing shit.” Hyunwoo tried to search Hoseok’s eyes for remorse, but all he found behind the false innocence were glints of anger. “I know how many times you’ve been caught since you moved back here… I _don’t_ want to know how many times you _haven’t_ been.” All he wanted to do was avoid further conversation; skate his way around any past issues the two may have had, but the familiar raspberry scent of the black-haired omega was filling his senses and keeping his feet planted.

He swallowed the impending lump in his throat and closed his eyes, initially thankful when his keen ears picked up the sound of another officer entering the station cell block.

“Back again I see?” Rookie Officer Yoo Kihyun tossed his jacket on the desk and sat down on its edge, shaking his head. “You ever gonna learn _not_ to steal shit?”

Hyunwoo gave Kihyun an implacable glare, but Kihyun fired back with a sharp brow and a roguish grin. Hoseok stepped away from the bars and sat on the small cot in the corner of his cell when he saw Kihyun get up and head towards them.

“Leave him be, Kihyun,” Hyunwoo ordered, folding his arms and squaring his jaw as the beta walked up to him.

Kihyun craned his neck to look Hyunwoo in the eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he _likes_ it here.” He peered past Hyunwoo, then threw the alpha a look of near disgust. “You gonna get him out this time? Or finally send him down the hill where he belongs.”

Kihyun’s snide remarks were commonplace, but today he seemed particularly pissed off, like he’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed and was ready to fight anyone that crossed him. Hyunwoo placed his hand square on Kihyun’s chest and shoved him back so they were out of Hoseok’s earshot.

“What the fuck did I just tell you? And what does it matter if I let him go with just a warning?” The anger in Hyunwoo’s voice was building rapidly; an uncommon nervous energy churning in his gut, trapped between doing the right thing and doing what he could for his friend. He pushed Kihyun back against the desk, almost pressing their bodies together, making sure to push his scent onto Kihyun and give the rookie beta his own ample warning.

Almost immediately, Kihyun’s snarky demeanor fell away. “It’s just- it’s getting obvious, hyung. Captain isn’t going to let you send him off with a warning and a fine and a promise not to steal anymore. His word is shit, and you and I both know it.”

As much as Hyunwoo hated to admit it, Kihyun was right. He sighed and let his hand fall, moving around him to sit at his desk. “Go home. Kihyun, _please_ just let me deal with this. If the Captain has an issue, he can take it up with me.”

Kihyun stared at Hoseok until Hoseok looked over at him. “You know I won’t help you with him anymore, right?”

Hyunwoo slammed his fist down, scattering papers all over the desk and floor, scent filling the room in a matter of seconds. “ _Go!_ ”

So Kihyun went, holding onto the knowledge that at some point later in the evening, they’d be having a serious chat about what had just happened.

When Kihyun was gone, Hoseok got up and leaned against the bars again. His face had gone even more pale and his expression was somber. “So, it’s _him_ now.” He didn’t make it a question because he didn’t need to.

Hyunwoo walked over to the cell, tired and frustrated and more than ready for the day to be over. “What are you talking about?” he sighed, feeling the weight of Hoseok’s gaze pressing down on him again.

“The new _toy_ you’re fucking.” He waited for Hyunwoo to protest, but the alpha just pursed his lips and averted his glare. “Guess I should’ve known; you with your ever-changing dominant nature... Bet he submits so easy. Looks up at you with those puppy dog eyes, just begging for you to throw him down and fuck him ‘til he can’t walk straight… No questions, no remorse, right? Isn’t that the new beta way?”

Hyunwoo wanted to retaliate, but Hoseok was exactly right. He’d backed Hyunwoo so far into the corner with just a few sentences that he was speechless. He couldn’t even look at Hoseok anymore, and suddenly, it was like nothing had changed between them; like the past few years of them being apart hadn’t happened; like neither of them had really changed at all. Then, the realization hit Hyunwoo like a truck, so hard he faltered in his firm stance for a moment.

“That’s why you came back- why you keep breaking the law,” he said, shaking his head to chase the thought away. “You don’t think I’ll want you so the only way to get close to me is to land yourself in here.”

Hoseok stepped away from the bars and shoved his hands in his pockets. “How _perceptive_ of you, hyung.”

Hyunwoo felt a thousand questions rush him all at once, but not a single one would leave his lips. He pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the cell, pushing the door open with a slow creak. “Leave, Hoseok,” he said, back turned away and eyes to the floor. “And quit fucking up. The next time you get caught, I’m not going to help you. Not because I can’t, but because I _won’t_. You’ll go down the hill and you’ll stay there.” Hoseok walked past him, hesitant but also desperate to catch his gaze. He looked up again and followed Hoseok to the front door. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Hoseok stood outside the door with his back to Hyunwoo. Even the angry sounds of the city sweltering in the mid-summer heat couldn’t break the silence and tension between them, and he left, with Hyunwoo slamming the door behind him.

~ ~ ~

“Are you sure you want me here right now?” Kihyun asked, hovering in the doorway of Hyunwoo’s small apartment.

“I wouldn’t have messaged you if I didn’t,” Hyunwoo responded coldly, leaving Kihyun’s side to reclaim his spot on the couch.

Kihyun took off his shoes and hoodie, still hesitant but in dire need of an explanation. It was clear to him that Hyunwoo was frustrated- he may not have always won the award for sunshine of the year, but the alpha was rarely this standoffish.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong? Or should I just guess,” Kihyun said, sitting on the arm of the couch. Hyunwoo stared off at a blank tv screen, unresponsive. “Hyung, we need to talk about Hoseok.”

“No, we don’t,” Hyunwoo snapped, glaring at Kihyun, scent starting to spill from his pores.

“So, what about us? Can we at least talk about that?”

Hyunwoo ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair and stood up, turning to face Kihyun. “What’s there to talk about?”

Kihyun stood as well, puffing his chest a bit, building what little defense he had in the brief second of silence between them. “You’ve been different ever since Hoseok started getting locked up. The more times it happens, the more closed off and angry you get. I thought we had a good thing going here, but maybe I was wrong.” Despite feeling the tension rise between them, Kihyun continued, asking the one question Hyunwoo didn’t want to answer. “Is he yours, hyung? Does he carry your mark?”

“You know the answer to that,” Hyunwoo said, clenching his jaw.

“Then what is it?”

Hyunwoo balled his fists and spoke through his teeth. “I don’t need to explain my actions to you, _Kihyun_. You knew damn well what _this_ was the moment you pulled me into the evidence room and got down on your knees. And as for Hoseok? He knows if he fucks up again I’m not going to help him… It’s over now, so just leave it alone.”

Kihyun sat back down on the arm of the couch with hesitance clear in the simple movement. His gaze fell in slow motion, following along the flow of muscle that was evident through Hyunwoo’s tight t-shirt. He had no defense, and every part of him knew it. “You’re right,” he said, bringing his eyes back up and putting a long pause between them. “I _do_ know what this is...”

And he dropped down onto his knees like the good, submissive beta that he was.  

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo awoke the next morning to streaks of sunlight forcing their way through the seams of his heavy drapes and flickering across his face. He brought his arm up over his eyes and tugged the blanket back away from his body. Sleep had not come easy to him again, and despite taking his frustrations out on Kihyun, he’d spent most of the night alone and staring blankly up at the cracks in the ceiling.

It was finally Sunday- his only day off, and even in his sleep deprived state, he took comfort in knowing that he could stay home all day and do nothing but play video games and eat junk food if he chose to do so. He also didn’t need to go to the gym, something he was diligent about every other day of the week.

After three cups of strong coffee and over an hour wasted doing nothing but thinking about Hoseok, he decided to shower.

The water beat down in a hard stream on his tan skin and aching muscles. Steam filled the shower as the temperature rose in tiny increments, and little moans escaped his lips each time he let his hands wander down his body.

He thought about Hoseok’s perfect mouth, swallowing every inch of him, humming around his cock until his lips were beet red and swollen. The way Hoseok would gag himself and latch onto Hyunwoo’s hips, pressing so hard into the skin that he left bruises where his fingertips were. How he would smile and stare up at Hyunwoo through his thick lashes, eyes always hungry, wanting more but never seeming to get enough.

How he would beg Hyunwoo to mark him and join them together for life...

_Things were better back then; better when they were young and stupid and hadn’t let life and time tear them down piece by piece. Better when all they cared about was each other, their worries few- do well in school and hope for the best, stay together and don’t let anyone pull them apart. It seemed easy enough… But Hyunwoo’s insistence that Hoseok remain free of his mark made it harder and harder to keep the boy in check, so life and time weren’t the only things trying to rip them away from each other..._

Hyunwoo placed his palm on the shower wall and rested his forehead against it, free hand stroking languidly at his cock. The heat of the water was turning his back red, filling the black and white dragon tattoo etched along his spine with fiery color. It danced as his muscles ebbed and flowed in time with his strokes.

They were getting faster now- more vehement, recalling the beautiful sounds Hoseok would make whenever Hyunwoo would fuck him and they didn’t have to stay quiet. Hoseok would whimper and moan and beg, building up and out like a song, getting louder and more needy with every thrust of Hyunwoo’s hips. He would suck in a heavy breath just before he came, body trembling under Hyunwoo’s firm touch, toes curled up tightly and hands gripping at anything he could find. He could almost always cum at the same time as Hyunwoo, making one orgasm flow into two, filling whatever space they occupied with cries of passion until they managed to come down from their highs.

_That part always took a while, neither wanting to let go of the other, Hoseok always asking if this time would be THE time._

Hyunwoo came with a long, low groan. Even in the confines of his own shower in his own apartment, alone, he tried to stay as quiet as he could. When he finished, he turned against the wet wall onto his back, sliding down until he was sitting, water beating against his legs and splashing up onto his face.

He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, slipping out, and being washed away. He felt bad for every time he’d used Kihyun to take out his frustrations; for every reckless, needy phone call or text he’d made asking the boy to come over and make him feel better. Kihyun may have been an asshole with a chip on his shoulder, but he’d willingly do anything Hyunwoo asked of him, no matter what the request would be. He didn’t deserve to be treated like some kind of street whore, even if he acted like he enjoyed it sometimes.

Hyunwoo also felt bad about letting Hoseok slip through his fingers when the omega needed him the most. But Hoseok had been in the throws of a dangerous game, and it was all Hyunwoo could do to keep from being dragged down with him. He knew full well that claiming the omega as his own could’ve been enough to stall the boy’s reckless behavior, but they were too young and too naive to even think about being bonded for life.

Kihyun tended to remind Hyunwoo of this fact whenever the alpha was in a solemn mood that he just couldn’t shake. He was aware of his limits, but until Hyunwoo would switch his emotion to one easier to handle, Kihyun would continue to see what he could get away with. A true submissive beta though, he never dared to question Hyunwoo once the alpha made his demands.

That needed to change; Hyunwoo needed to change… _Everything needed to change._

 


	2. Chapter 2

Hyunwoo’s hands shook as he held his phone, thumb hovering over the send button. He had debated for most of the afternoon whether or not to send Kihyun a text message, or just man-up and call him. But now, seeing Kihyun’s name on the small screen, it was all he could do to muster up enough courage, and squash his pride.

Lucky, or unlucky for him, he didn’t have to do either. The phone vibrated in his hands and he nearly dropped it seeing a message from the beta pop up.

_‘Hyung, you’re needed down at the station. Sry, I kno it’s your day off’_

Hyunwoo sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. This would probably be the last thing he needed today, but his job came before everything else in his life, no matter what.

_‘B there soon.’_

~ ~ ~

The station was quiet; Sunday’s always were. The Saturday night ruffians had either been processed out, or sent down the hill, and the lowly older woman who came in to answer phones was off for the day. Sundays were the only day of the week when all calls and most other things were passed off to the neighboring precinct. One officer had to be present at all times, but even that rule could be bent every now and then.

Hyunwoo scanned his desk, checking for anything new that may have shown up since the night before. Seeing nothing, he looked around the small office for things that seemed out of place. Even Kihyun was nowhere to be found. He cursed silently to himself, suddenly feeling like this was just the rookie’s way of getting back at him without stepping too far out of line; he’d call Hyunwoo in, then bolt as soon as he saw his car, leaving Hyunwoo to have to stay at the station until the next officer came in to relieve him.

Then, a familiar voice cast over his curses. “Didn’t think you’d actually show up,” Kihyun said, coming out from the evidence room.

“You say that like I had a choice.”

“You always have a choice, hyung.” Kihyun circled Hyunwoo’s desk and leaned against it, palms flat behind him to brace himself.

Though he was perturbed, Hyunwoo’s voice came out colder than he wanted. “What’s this all about?”

Kihyun reached in his pocket and pulled out a small piece of folded paper, then tossed it to Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo just looked at it, then glared at Kihyun. “If this is something you could’ve told me on the phone-”

“Just read it, ok?”

Hyunwoo rolled his eyes and unfolded the paper. He stared at it for a few moments, wondering if what was written should mean anything to him or not. When he glanced back up to Kihyun, his expression was one of pure annoyance, and for a moment, any apologies he’d felt the need to give to the boy dissipated.

“It’s Hoseok’s address. You need to go see him before he decides to do something stupid and get his ass thrown in jail again.”

Hyunwoo’s eyebrows furrowed into a tight line. His fingers twitched, holding the paper, staring at the numbers and letters that apparently told of the place where Hoseok was living. “How did you get this?” he asked, not looking back to Kihyun.

“He stopped by earlier to see you. I figured giving him _your_ address would be a bad idea.”

“Did he say anything?”

Kihyun huffed lightly and pushed himself off the desk. “Yeah, that you’d better come see him soon, or else he’d figure out a way to land himself back in here.”

Hyunwoo stood up so fast that the back of his thighs hit his chair, sending it crashing to the floor. He stuffed the paper in his pocket and headed for the door, but stopped just before he went out.

“Thank you for letting me know this, Kihyun; for not just throwing it away… And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about last night.”

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo stood outside the small deli, watching people go in and out, but not seeing hide nor hair of Hoseok, and the building was only a one-story. He cursed to himself again, thinking that Kihyun had given him a fake address as he pushed through the door covered in one too many local fliers.

A small girl with a bright smile and a pixie cut greeted him, and he stepped up to the counter.

“Sorry,” he said, fumbling with the paper Kihyun had given him. He held it up to the girl. “Is this the right address?”

The girl nodded, then rocked back on a heel, demeanor changing almost immediately. “Oh,” she said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder towards a door behind her. “You’re looking for Hoseok. Through the door, down the stairs.” And she moved on to the next customer trying to grab her attention.

Hyunwoo thanked her, fully aware that she hadn’t heard it, nor did she seem to care. As he walked around the counter and pushed the door open, she called out to him.

“Tell him this is the last time!” She mumbled something else under her breath but Hyunwoo couldn’t make it out. She seemed more than a little annoyed.

Hyunwoo shut the door behind him and stepped carefully down the stairs. Lit only by one, bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, the shrill light cast his massive shadow, making it almost impossible to see clearly. He could smell Hoseok’s sweet scent immediately, and he closed, then opened his eyes, pulling himself back together and reining in any thoughts of what he might find.

Once safely down the stairs he rounded a corner, into what looked like a typical storage room. Boxes were stacked up to the low ceiling, some looking like they’d been there for years. The floor was concrete, full of cracks with pieces broken off and crumbled. The harsh lighting continued as he rounded a wall of boxes, and he stopped abruptly, staring at the small bed tucked in a corner with a single lamp illuminating Hoseok’s muscled frame.

He was sleeping on his back, thin blanket draped over his lower half, bare chest showing a slow rise and fall as he breathed. It took every ounce of strength Hyunwoo had not to turn around and leave, the growing scent permeating every inch of the small room.

Hoseok shifted onto his side, muscles moving like a slow wave, messy, jet-black hair falling over his eyes. He had always looked so peaceful when he slept, pure and innocent like the boy Hyunwoo had known growing up. But things were different now, and no matter how badly Hyunwoo wanted the past few years to be erased, he knew they never would be; the memories of Hoseok’s spiral into a life of drinking and drugs and eventual crime would always be at the forefront of his mind.

_It was only when Hoseok was asleep that Hyunwoo knew the madness within him was quiet. The voices were silenced by typical omega dreams and an uncanny way of looking small and unaffected by all the terrible things he’d lived through. To Hyunwoo, Hoseok was the most perfect he could ever be when he slept._

He walked up to the edge of Hoseok’s bed, careful to step lightly and not startle him out of his slumber. If he just waited and didn’t wake the boy, Hoseok would awaken on his own, sensing Hyunwoo’s strong, oakey scent. He stared down with eyes full of remorse and a feeling that no matter what he did, Hoseok would always be lost.

A few aggravating and anxious moments later, and Hoseok groggily opened his eyes, grinning as he focused his gaze on Hyunwoo.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said, scooting back so Hyunwoo could sit down on the bed.

“Guess I’m just full of surprises today.”

Hoseok gave Hyunwoo an odd look as he sat up, back pressed against the wall. “Kihyun looked pretty upset when I asked him to give you my address. I can’t believe he actually did it.”

Hyunwoo tightened his brow and Hoseok turned his eyes away. “Can we not talk about him, please?”

“I’m sorry, hyung. I- I’m glad you came.”

Hyunwoo felt like a nervous teenager, palms sweating, knee bouncing like he had too much energy. Definitely not like the bold alpha he was known to be. Up until a few months ago, he hadn’t seen Hoseok, or heard anything from or about him in almost 5 years.

Their first encounter after so much time hadn’t exactly gone well- Hoseok, drunk off his ass and proudly announcing that he was back in town, and Hyunwoo trying to convince everyone at the station that they were just old friends and nothing more. Hoseok’s mouth always got the best of him whenever he was drunk, so it didn’t take long before he was telling tales of their lives together when they were teenagers. Hyunwoo was happy that Kihyun hadn’t been around to actually hear any of it, but the beta was made well aware of what had been said, and Hyunwoo to the day still wasn’t sure if it was the reason Kihyun finally made a move on him.

Hyunwoo looked around the grungy basement, then turned his body on the bed so he was almost facing Hoseok. “I wish you would’ve told me you didn’t have a proper place to live, Hoseok. I could’ve helped you out; at least found a better place than this.”

“Would it have really mattered?” Hoseok asked, shifting on the bed and moving closer to Hyunwoo. “It’s not like you had any reason to help me out. And I’m just fine where I’m at.”

“Clearly, you’re not. And what was the girl upstairs even talking about when she said to tell you _‘this was the last time?’_ ”

Hoseok’s eyes suddenly fell and he tucked his knees up to his chest. His raspberry scent shifted, fear starting to overtake him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Fucking tell me, Hoseok.”

“Why? So you can make me feel bad about it? So you can tell me what terrible decisions I’m making? Pretty sure I had enough of that shit five years ago. I definitely don’t need to hear it again.”

Hoseok’s voice was shaking, and the last thing Hyunwoo wanted to do was upset him even further. Despite the boy’s tough exterior, he was fragile and easily triggered. Seems the years hadn’t changed that. Hyunwoo let out a long, slow sigh and reached his hand out, placing it at Hoseok’s feet.

“I know you haven’t been claimed, but are you clean?” he asked, praying silently that the answer was yes.

“You know I am.”

“Can you stop stealing shit and straighten your ass out? Maybe try and find some decent work?”

Hoseok was staring at Hyunwoo’s hand. His eyes were trained on it as if the moment it moved, he could dodge it like a bullet coming straight at him, but he’d fail because people who live in glass houses can’t dodge bullets. “What’s with all the questions?”

“Answer me, and I’ll tell you.”

A small movement- just a nervous twitch in Hyunwoo’s finger, and Hoseok shrank into himself. He buried his face against his arms, cowering on the corner of his bed like he’d misbehaved and was scared to death of the punishment he would receive for it.

Hyunwoo withdrew his hand slowly and waited for Hoseok to peer up at him again. “I don’t know what happened while you were away, but I’m not going to hurt you, Hoseok. You _know_ I’m not. Please, just answer my question and tell me the truth.”

Hoseok swallowed hard and stared at Hyunwoo with wet eyes. “I can stop, if you can help me get out of here.” His voice was so small, so weary, and nothing like Hyunwoo had ever heard from him.

Hyunwoo reached his hand out again, this time, palm facing up. Hoseok didn’t even flinch. “Come stay with me,” he said, intertwining their fingers when Hoseok finally reached back. “I’ll help you get back on your feet; find you a place of your own- a nice place.”

“What about Kihyun?”

“You let me worry about that. He doesn’t live with me, and if he has an issue with you staying, I’ll handle it.”

Hoseok nodded and took his hand back. He let Hyunwoo stand him up and help him pack the small, single bag of belongings he had. They didn’t say much as they went up the stairs, but the moment the girl came over to them, Hyunwoo flashed his badge and told her that she’d never see Hoseok again. He didn’t know their arrangement, and he didn’t want to know, but the girl seemed more than happy to watch Hoseok leave. Hoseok seemed just as happy to be leaving. Hyunwoo knew that they would have to talk about it at some point, but all he wanted at that moment was to get home and make sure Hoseok had a good meal and a warm bed to sleep in. All the rest of it would have to wait.

~ ~ ~

“This is nice,” Hoseok said, stepping past Hyunwoo into the dimly lit apartment. Hyunwoo knew he’d said it not in reference to the actual design or decor, but instead to the inviting scent of Hyunwoo’s favorite vanilla scented air fresheners and candles, permeating every crack and corner. They both kicked off their shoes and Hyunwoo took Hoseok’s bag and jacket, motioning for him to come inside further with a low grunt and a _‘come on already.’_

It was the first things either of them had said since the basement.

The car ride, though short, had stretched their awkward silence into something just downright uncomfortable. Hyunwoo wanted to say something charming, anything that would put Hoseok at ease, but all he could do was wait and hope the boy would follow him around like a lost puppy learning his new home as he was introduced to it. Hoseok did just that, making small sounds of acknowledgement at each turn and motion of Hyunwoo’s hand.

When the brief tour ended, Hyunwoo took a seat at the rickety kitchen table full of files and unopened mail. He shoved a stack of it off the chair next to him, meaning for Hoseok to sit down, but Hoseok came up behind him and planted both hands on Hyunwoo’s large shoulders. The unexpected contact had Hyunwoo faltering in an instant, and he fumbled with his words when he spoke. “I meant to- I should’ve. I’ll clean up in a bit, ok?”

Hoseok leaned down and breathed in deeply, hoping Hyunwoo wouldn’t turn and back away from the subtle gesture. “Don’t worry about it, hyung,” he said, voice soft and low, warm breath fanning down across the back of Hyunwoo’s neck. “I missed your scent so much.” He waited just long enough for the alpha to react before kneading his fingers into Hyunwoo’s shoulders, again hoping his advances wouldn’t be denied.

Hyunwoo’s breaths were shallow and quick and his heart was racing in his chest. He knew at any moment that his leg would start to bounce and his nervousness would become apparent, but the feel of Hoseok’s hands on him, the realness of his touch after years of separation- it was all so simple yet so much to process.

 _For a moment, it felt like their roles had reversed_. _But this was nothing new to either of them, Hyunwoo often telling Hoseok that if life hadn’t dealt him such a shitty hand, the younger would’ve made a great alpha. Hoseok would just laugh and shove Hyunwoo playfully and remind him that no one could change their destiny... Hyunwoo always thought that was the most untrue statement he’d ever heard._

“You’re so tight,” Hoseok whispered, running his thumbs up the back of Hyunwoo’s neck and splaying his fingers across the tense muscles.

Maybe it was the words he’d chosen, or the way he’d said it, but in an instant, Hyunwoo ducked away from Hoseok’s hold and stood up. The unexpected movement sent Hoseok back, and his hands fell in slow motion to his sides.

“I’m sorry, hyung.”

Hyunwoo turned his head just enough to see Hoseok in his peripheral. “It’s fine, I just- I have to go, to the station, I mean.”

Hoseok took a side-step, trying to catch Hyunwoo’s eyes, but the alpha looked away. “Kihyun said you have the day off,” he said, dismay evident in his voice.

Silence filled the space between them again, stretching on until Hyunwoo grabbed his keys and shoved them into his pocket. He barely acknowledged Hoseok as he walked to the door and slipped his shoes back on.

“Kihyun says a lot of things… If I leave you here, can you promise not to steal shit and run?” He glanced over his shoulder for the briefest of moments. Hoseok let out a breath so loud he could hear it from across the room. “Well?”

“Yeah, hyung, you can trust me.” There was poison at the tail end of his answer. Just enough to hold Hyunwoo in his spot for longer than he had intended.

Hyunwoo pulled the door open and stepped across the threshold. “There’s food in the fridge,” he said, knowing exactly how cold his words sounded. “I’ll be back later.” He didn’t give Hoseok time to respond, instead shutting the door behind him and leaning against it, cursing at himself as usual.

He didn’t know it, but Hoseok was soon just on the other side, palm flat on the cold, thick metal, forehead pressed lightly to the back of his shaking hand.

~ ~ ~

“Didn’t think I’d see _you_ again,” Kihyun said, glancing up from his desk when Hyunwoo entered the station. “Things not go well I take it?”

Hyunwoo flashed him a look of warning as he passed, but stopped and spun around just a few steps later.

“Is anyone else here?” There was something in the stale air of the station. Something Hyunwoo could only pick up on the days before his rut would hit. He hadn’t smelled it the first time he’d be around Kihyun earlier that afternoon, but now, the faint, undeniable scent that beta’s only emitted when their desires had reached the breaking point was wrapping around him like a blanket meant only to lure and trap and not let go until those desires were sated.

Kihyun shook his head and stood up, trying to search the alpha’s eyes for his own answer. His pupils were dilated, irises shining with a rich auburn color, tiny flecks of gold and orange sparkling in the harsh fluorescent light overhead. Hyunwoo grabbed him by the wrist suddenly, pulling him away from his desk and towards one of the small rooms where they questioned suspects.

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

Hyunwoo shut the door behind them, pushing Kihyun up against the wall and covering his mouth with a firm hand. “Not a word about Hoseok, ok?” When Kihyun nodded- eyes wide and body trembling, Hyunwoo released his mouth and slid his hand down the boy’s body, cupping the growing tightness in his slacks and crashing their lips together, silencing any kind of feigned protest Kihyun might have attempted.

He swallowed Kihyun’s tiny moans, kiss growing more forceful with each one that hummed in the back of the beta’s throat. He knew they could be caught at any moment, but the thought was fleeting. All he wanted and needed in that moment was some kind of release, and Kihyun was perfect for that.

~ ~ ~

_They didn’t get caught._

In fact, most of the day passed without so much as a misguided phone call to the station. They barely said more than a few short sentences to each other- just the occasional, _‘I’ll be right back’_ or ‘ _Let me get something to clean up with._ ’ Kihyun, as usual, went along with everything Hyunwoo asked of, and insisted from him, not once questioning his motives or actions, not once proclaiming that the alpha’s scent was too overwhelming for him to handle. He had knowingly caused all of this in the first place- Hyunwoo was sure, so he had no allowance when it came to objecting.

Despite the awkward silences that lapsed between each encounter, it was easy for time to stretch on without notice when they were together; Hyunwoo making sure it was time well spent, and Kihyun always left looking fucked out and sated; used up to exactly where he wanted to be.

Now, with Kihyun sitting in a satisfied heap, back pressed up against the wall, and Hyunwoo’s jacket wrapped loosely around his naked midsection, there was nothing left for Hyunwoo to do but face his demons and return home to Hoseok. He knew he’d feel the need to explain himself and his actions, but that was the furthest thing from his mind as he stared down at the rookie cop with matted hair and traces of cum still spotting his neck and chest.

“You should get cleaned up,” Hyunwoo said, extending a hand to Kihyun.

Kihyun shook his head lazily from side to side. “You say that like you’re gonna make me get up and go back to work.” His words slurred together and he laughed at himself. “Like I can even stand up right now, hyung. So silly.”

Hyunwoo bent down and scooped Kihyun up in his arms, standing him up, disregarding the jacket as it fell to the floor when Kihyun tried to stay balanced on legs that just didn’t want to work. “I’m not staying here, so you’d better.”

Kihyun crooked an eyebrow and pushed up on his tiptoes, latching onto Hyunwoo’s sweatshirt to stabilize himself. “And if I don’t?” he said, squeezing his tiny fingers around the fabric. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

There was a moment when it was clear the lines between them had started to blur. Regardless of what Hyunwoo considered them, and biologically, what they were, they’d almost become something more than just fuck buddies, and part of him was more than a little bit uncomfortable with that. He took Kihyun firmly by the shoulders and moved him back, then grabbed the boy’s clothes off the table and chucked them at him.

“Get dressed, _rookie_. You’ve got no choice.”

He left Kihyun standing in the interrogation room looking like he’d just been torn apart and put back together, then shattered again into a million pieces. He knew full-well that the beta was pouting, dumbfounded and rendered speechless with the last bit of his pride seeping from him.

_But he suddenly just didn’t care._

When it came to Kihyun, Hyunwoo was like a lightswitch- as easily turned on as he could be turned off. One moment he could look at him and his heart would swell with something that vaguely resembled love, but the next brought a look of disgust, both with himself, and with Kihyun. The constant back and forth was exhausting, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t get it to stop, and Kihyun’s biggest strength was being an enabler. It counteracted perfectly to Hyunwoo’s biggest weakness- the one he tried so hard to keep hidden- his vulnerability as an alpha.

Someone strong of body and mind and biology like him shouldn’t have a heart that could melt even in the coldest hands, or at least, that’s what he tried to convince himself of. Though it was rare, once someone he let in his life realized his flaw, they tended to use it against him, sometimes, without even knowing it.

_It took him years to figure out that Hoseok knew this about him all along; even before he knew it himself. And eventually, Hoseok used it every chance he could. So much so that Hyunwoo had built a steel cage around his heart by the time they’d parted ways, vowing to never let anyone in again._

_But we all do things in haste, and loneliness can get the best of even the strongest, most independent souls._

Hyunwoo was sure the first few months of Hoseok getting locked up was something he could handle without incident, but as he left the station, his heart sank, and he stood on the bottom step, torn between going back inside and telling Kihyun he was sorry and ending things, or going home to Hoseok feeling the need to explain himself. He knew he looked exactly like he’d just been fucking for the past few hours; even if he ran a comb through his messy hair and changed into a clean set of clothes, Hoseok was an omega, and would be able to smell Kihyun on him from a mile away.

Maybe that was what had really drawn Hoseok to him in the first place, after the first time he got locked up. Maybe it was the way Hyunwoo tried to hide his relationship with Kihyun, and Hoseok had finally cracked under the pressure, knowing the alpha too well and calling him out when he could no longer keep his mouth shut.

Maybe, Hyunwoo would get in his car and just drive; no destination, no plans, no hope except for getting as far away from his current life as possible… Maybe…


	3. Chapter 3

Hyunwoo stood outside his door with his hands flat against it and his eyes trying to stare through the cold metal. He was bound to walk in on any type of situation; Hoseok ransacking the place, looking for anything he could find to pawn for a quick buck, an empty shell of what once had been full of memories stacked in corners and hidden in boxes, with no trace of Hoseok to be found, or, what he felt would be the worst scenario, the longer he thought about it- that Hoseok was just gone, leaving everything untouched, leaving nothing but a memory and faint remnants of his trailing scent.

He closed his eyes when he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Hoseok’s scent was still there, barely. He opened his eyes slowly, one at a time while he kicked his shoes off. Everything looked the same, and the boy’s shoes, just a size smaller than his own, were tucked neatly in a corner by the door.

_But, where was he? It was a strange thing, but even as an omega, Hoseok had sometimes been able to hide himself and keep his scent in check when he concentrated hard enough. While no amount of effort could make it dissipate fully, he could at least keep it to a minimum so as to not alert unwanted alphas. The only exception being the peak of his heat, something both he and Hyunwoo were thankful that only came once every few months._

Hyunwoo slid his jacket off and tossed it on a nearby chair. He wanted to call out Hoseok’s name, but something kept him from doing so. He searched the small living room and kitchen for any signs of something missing, but all was in tact. He shuffled down the hallway to his room, making sure to stay as unimposing as possible, and opened the door just a crack.

Hoseok was there, fast asleep, curled up in Hyunwoo’s comforter and surrounded by a mass of pillows that framed him like a nest. He stirred when Hyunwoo opened the door further, slow creak filling the silent room with sound. As the alpha approached, he opened his eyes, and a tiny yet cautious smile tugged at his lips when Hyunwoo sat down next to him.

“You’re back,” he said, unraveling himself from the heavy blanket and sitting up. His nose twisted for a second, and he wiped the motion away, hoping Hyunwoo didn’t notice.

Hyunwoo nodded. “Well, you’re still here. Everything seems in order.” His tone was flat, voice devoid of any feeling whatsoever.

Hoseok shifted and pulled the blanket back up over his shoulders. “Would you be upset if I told you I thought about leaving?”

“No. I’d be happy that you decided against it.” A genuine answer, but still, nothing. “You’re not gonna ask where I’ve been?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“Hoseok, you’re allowed to. You can do as you wish, long as it’s legal.”

“I don’t need to know, hyung. I’m just glad you’re back.” He was acting as though Kihyun’s scent wasn’t dripping from every pore on Hyunwoo’s body, and for the moment, the alpha was grateful for that.

“If you want to sleep more, I can leave,” Hyunwoo said, standing, but Hoseok reached up and grabbed him by the wrist.

“I don’t need to sleep more. Please don’t go, I’ll get up.” He released Hyunwoo’s wrist and stood, blanket falling from his shoulders, revealing that he was wearing nothing but a pair of tight, black boxer briefs.

Hyunwoo immediately turned away, feeling the blush creep onto his cheeks and closing his nostrils to the hormones that attacked his senses at the reveal.

_No more hiding, apparently._

“You act like you’ve never seen me half naked before,” Hoseok laughed, pulling a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt on. As he headed for the door, he peered back over his shoulder and grinned at Hyunwoo, who still hadn’t moved. “I’d ask if it’d really been that long since you saw another guy in his underwear, but we both know that’s not the case.” There was a playful condescension in his voice that sent a chill straight up Hyunwoo’s spine. “I’ll make dinner while you shower.”

_Officially busted._

Hyunwoo watched Hoseok slip out the door and sighed heavily, wiping the few beads of sweat from his forehead as he sat down on the bed. If the tension between them didn’t ease up soon, he was sure he’d go crazy. But then again, what did he expect inviting the omega so previously familiar to come and stay with him? Especially not knowing what he’d been up to all the years they were apart. With another long sigh and a few curses to himself, he left the room, hoping that an extra long shower would at least wash Kihyun’s scent from his skin, and get his brain back on track and thinking clearer.

~ ~ ~

“I’m surprised there’s any hot water left,” Hoseok chuckled as Hyunwoo entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. “Feel better?”

Hyunwoo grunted and shook his head once, barely acknowledging Hoseok when he came to stand next to him. The shower really _had_ helped, but he was positive that the omega knew just what exactly he’d been doing _during_ said shower. He was starting to notice that the more he was around Hoseok, the faster their scents were mixing together as if they’d never been apart, though the thought of it both thrilled, and terrified him to his core. He had scented Hoseok in the past, many times, but the urge to mark him was growing again, and he was unsure as to why it was suddenly so strong, when he’d been able to control it somewhat easily in the years before they had separated.

_Not once during their childhood had Hyunwoo ever bared his teeth to Hoseok. Even when the omega was on his knees and begging to be claimed. Even when thoughts of mating for life filled Hyunwoo’s head to the point where he’d have to stop and check himself. Hoseok may have had a way of bringing both the best, and worst out of him, but never did Hyunwoo think he’d crack enough to shatter his defenses completely._

“Is it ok for me to touch you?” Hoseok asked, taking a side-step so he was standing behind Hyunwoo. “I’m sure you’re still tense despite… ya’ know.”

Hyunwoo closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath. He nodded once, hoping to stifle the omega’s needy undertone by giving in, if only for a moment. When he did, Hoseok’s strong hands found the tight muscles of his neck, instantly kneading into them with the perfect amount of pressure. He melted into the boy’s touch, head lolling back, resting against the rise of Hoseok’s chest. Every part of him knew he was treading into dangerous waters, but the sweet scent filling his nostrils was taking him back to a better time; a time he was sure he should be fighting to keep at bay.

When Hoseok’s warm breath fanned out across the back of his neck, Hyunwoo’s eyes flew open, yet he remained still. His heart raced in his chest, his breaths became quick and stunted, the loose confines of the sweatpants he’d changed into became a little less forgiving. He swallowed hard and grabbed one of Hoseok’s wrists. Calloused fingertips dragged down the soft skin. Dulled nails pressed into the omega’s palm.

“Don’t do it, Hoseok,” Hyunwoo said, forcing the authoritative tone to be relevant despite the softness of his voice.

Hoseok didn’t fight against Hyunwoo’s grip; he knew better, and, if he was being honest with himself, he liked the tinge of pain shooting through his hand and up his arm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, hyung,” he said playfully, other hand moving slowly up the back of Hyunwoo’s neck.

“Yes,” Hyunwoo said, pulling Hoseok around to face him. “You do. Knock it off before you get yourself in trouble.”

“You say that like I’m known for my ability to behave,” Hoseok chuckled, stepping forward and sliding a leg in between Hyunwoo’s knees.

Hyunwoo could feel himself cracking at the edges. He knew he should make the boy stop before they both started something he was sure neither could finish unscathed, but his alpha hormones were clouding his judgement and splitting him at the seams. He could throw the omega down so easily; scent him, mark him, fuck him into oblivion, but then what? The possible repercussions weren’t a pill so easily swallowed.

_But the scent; Hoseok’s perfect scent, so pure, so untainted by time and others he had been with._

The brief second Hyunwoo closed his eyes to regain composure was just enough time for Hoseok to twist his hand out of the alpha’s grip and straddle him. Their lips crashed together before Hyunwoo could process what had happened, and instinctively his strong arms wrapped around Hoseok’s waist, bringing their bodies as close as he could get them.

Hoseok moaned into the kiss, chasing Hyunwoo’s tongue with his own, nimble fingers finding the scruff of the alpha’s neck. He may have been an omega, but years of practice- most of which with the man giving in to his touch, had taught him how to control his, and others desires. At certain times, if one didn’t know better, they might think he was an alpha himself.

Through the thin layers of clothing that separated them, Hoseok rolled his hips, grinding down against Hyunwoo’s growing hardness. He broke from the kiss long enough to take a handful of hair and crane the alpha’s neck back, lips ghosting over Hyunwoo’s jaw before rising up and reclaiming the kiss. Hyunwoo grabbed onto his hips and bucked up into him, eliciting a soft cry from Hoseok as their lips parted again.

“I missed this,” Hoseok panted, fingers releasing Hyunwoo’s hair and finding their way down the taut muscles of his neck. He continued to move his hand down, smoothing over the alpha’s firm abs, dipping those fingers past the waistband of his sweats. Before he could find new purchase, Hyunwoo stood, bringing Hoseok up with him and setting him down on to the table on his back.

Hyunwoo grabbed Hoseok’s wrists and pinned them over his head, staring down at him with hungry eyes and a snarl at his lips. The swift move caused Hoseok to giggle, but there was no playfulness in Hyunwoo’s glare, and like the flip of a switch, Hoseok’s scent started to shift.

“Seems you’ve forgotten your place, _omega,_ ” Hyunwoo growled, digging nails into the boy’s palms.

Hoseok started to shrink underneath him, legs unlocking from around his waist, body going completely lax with the weight of the alpha pressing down on him. If he wanted this to continue, he’d submit, but in the back of his mind, he was sure that if he gave in to his rushing hormones, their moment of pure reconnection might vanish. Once again, he’d be left to find his own way; tend to his own needs.

“Please, don’t leave me like this,” he begged, tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

Hyunwoo paused, long enough to realize the weight of the decision he’d just made. It had been so many years since he’d tasted an omega, and he knew that Hoseok’s taste was incomparable to others. His hormones were telling him to taste the boy for real, finally giving the omega the marks he’d begged for since they were young and reckless. But the part of him that continuously monitored and maintained his strong convictions was rearing its level head, bringing him back to the dangerous nature of the moment.

“We have to stop, Hoseok,” he said, letting go of the boy’s hands and pushing himself back up. Hoseok sat up as well, almost huffing as he wiped away a single tear streaming down his cheek.

“We don’t,” Hoseok whispered, reaching out for Hyunwoo’s hand, only to be denied again. “You don’t have to mark me, hyung. Just _be_ with me; let me remember what it feels like to be with _you._ ” He scooted forward on the table and reached out again. This time, Hyunwoo let their fingers entwine. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt the touch of someone who knows how to be good to me; knows how to treat me like an equal. And yes, I’m aware that we will never really be equals, but feeling wanted for more than just my scent or my body or what I can do to please someone is all I’m asking for.”

Another tear slid down his pale cheek. Hyunwoo was quick to wipe it away, searching the boy’s eyes, hoping that the fear in his voice didn’t mean that the worst had happened to him, numerous times.

“How is it that you’ve remained unmarked all these years?” Hyunwoo asked, stepping forward so that he was positioned between Hoseok’s legs. He knew the question was just as dangerous as anything his hormones had been telling him to do since Hoseok had entered his apartment, but the complacency Hoseok was giving him was enough to keep the bile in his throat from rising if his thoughts started to race.

Hoseok smiled, daring to clutch at the alpha’s thin T-shirt and breathe him in deeply. “It wasn’t easy,” he said. “But you know how much control I can muster when I really need it most.”

“You’re an omega, Hoseok. If an alpha wants to mark you, there isn’t much you can do.”

_Treacherous waters, Hyunwoo. Tread lightly…_

Hoseok sighed softly and rested his forehead against Hyunwoo’s broad chest. “I was just careful, ok?” He pulled another deep breath into his lungs. “Besides, no one has ever smelled as good as you.”

Hyunwoo finally cracked a smile, pride swelling in an instant. He lifted Hoseok’s chin and kissed him gently. “And no one ever will, I’m sure,” he grinned, bringing his lips back to Hoseok’s.

The kiss was soft and warm at first, tongues touching lightly, scents mixing together again. Hoseok pulled Hyunwoo closer to him, arms wrapping around the alpha’s waist as the kiss deepened. His moans were subtle, almost like they were new to each other and he was afraid to let himself go, but Hyunwoo was hard against him, hips moving like a gentle wave into him, oakey scent washing over him and dragging him into the tide.

Hyunwoo knew that giving in to Hoseok and giving the omega exactly what he wanted would probably bite him in the ass at some point, but the longer they kissed, the more he just didn’t care. When Hoseok laid back on the table again, he followed him down, somehow managing to pull the boy’s sweatpants off without breaking the kiss.

“Taste me, hyung. _Please,”_ Hoseok begged against Hyunwoo’s full lips.

It was all Hyunwoo could do to keep from nipping at Hoseok’s skin as he trailed kisses down the length of his body. Hoseok’s cock was hard and ready and dripping with precum; the backs of his thighs were wet with slick. Hyunwoo took a moment to stare at the site before him, thankful he wasn’t immersed in full rut. Looking back up Hoseok’s body through thick lashes, he took the omega’s cock deep into his mouth, moaning at the sweet taste that struck his tongue. He savored every drop, drinking him in like he was all the sustenance Hyunwoo would ever need. He rubbed at Hoseok’s sensitive hole with the pad of his thumb, dipping it inside then bringing it to his lips. The tang of the omega’s slick sent a rush of hormones straight to his unstable mind, further spurring his alpha needs.

With Hoseok’s moans filling his ears and rich, raspberry scent crashing into him like thunder, he stood up straight, shoving his pants down with one hand while using the other to hold the boy’s thigh back at the perfect angle. With careful precision, he pushed himself inside, grabbing Hoseok’s free thigh and positioning it next to the other.

Hoseok cried out, hands reaching out to grab at Hyunwoo’s shirt again, pulling at it the second he made contact. His voice was strained almost immediately, breaths spilling out of parted lips, need apparent by the way he continuously mouthed Hyunwoo’s name over and over again as the alpha thrusted into him.

_To Hyunwoo, that only meant one thing..._

Caught somewhere between sanity and the desire to breed, Hyunwoo felt himself start to shatter under the pressure. His alpha biology overtook each of his senses as he stared down at the blissed-out omega beneath him. He knew Hoseok wanted to be bred, too, fully aware that the boy was horrible when it came to taking precautions.

With the single ounce of control he had left over his actions, Hyunwoo pulled out of Hoseok and yanked him up abruptly, startling him like he’d just been ripped from the sweetest dream. “I won’t breed you, Hoseok,” he growled.

Hoseok got his bearings quickly and captured Hyunwoo’s lips again, spilling himself into the alpha’s strong arms, refusing to let the moment turn futile. Hyunwoo pulled them apart, catching the mischievous charm in Hoseok’s eyes before taking him by the scruff of the neck and bringing him to his knees. The omega allowed himself to be guided, submitting to the alpha hovering over him like he was ready to strike.

_But he knew this alpha; this man he could trust with his body, with his life._

He took Hyunwoo into his mouth, tasting the sweet, sharp sting of cum and slick mixing together on his tongue like a perfect, venomous cocktail. His stare at Hyunwoo never faltered, even when the  alpha finally came, hot and thick and deep into his throat; even when he came _himself_ from the overstimulation of it all.

Somewhere in the midst of their wavering highs, Hyunwoo managed to rein himself back in and set his mind straight.

 _The ability was both a blessing, and a curse. He often found himself wanting to revel in the blissful feeling of catch and release. Even when he was with Kihyun, his head would snap him back to the reality of the situation at hand, and all his hard edges and sometimes faltering sense of stability would fill him up again; drain him of every emotion he couldn’t keep nailed down_.

Hyunwoo had to help Hoseok stand again, sure that if he didn’t, the boy would collapse onto the floor and most likely stay there until morning. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” he said, slipping his sweatpants back on and picking Hoseok up and carrying him across the room. “I don’t need your scent reeking havoc on my senses while I’m trying to sleep.”

Hoseok smiled in Hyunwoo’s arms and snuggled into his chest as he was carried. “W- what about dinner?”

“You can barely form coherent sentences right now, Hoseok. Dinner can wait. It’s been a long day and I’m officially ready to see nothing but the backs of my eyelids.” Gently, he set Hoseok down on the couch and pulled a blanket up over his body. “And I don’t care if you got enough sleep earlier- get some more. I’m sure you need it.”

Hoseok reached out haphazardly as Hyunwoo turned to leave. He wiggled his fingers in an attempt to keep the alpha close to him for just a few more seconds, but Hyunwoo was already walking away, saying his goodnight’s and turning off any lights that were still on. Before Hyunwoo was out of sight, Hoseok blew him a kiss, thanking him as his eyes began to close and his senses began to waver.

Hyunwoo walked down the short hallway and into his room, all the while shaking his head and trying to figure out the exact moment he had cracked under the pressure of raging hormones and a scent that clung to his skin like a wet T-shirt. With Kihyun, things were, for the most part, easy. He never had to worry about the beta begging to be marked, or if he’d knot and be taken over by the overwhelming desire to mate. But with Hoseok, things could be complicated, hazardous and potentially deadly if he didn’t keep his wits about him. The touch-and-go nature of their relationship had clearly not changed much. He only hoped that being back in Hoseok’s life would have some kind of positive affect.

Another long, hot shower made all the sense in the world, but so did sleep. And his bedsheets would reek of omega hormones. But as he crashed down onto his bed, he lost the last bit of emotion he could muster for the night.

Drifting off into what he needed to be a full night of slumber, he thought about how badly he had wanted to just get in his car and drive away earlier; leaving everyone he knew and everything he owned in his wake. He smiled a tiny smile then, feeling that urge wash away as if it had never filled his mind in the first place.

It may not have been the smartest decision he’d ever made, but for the time Hoseok was back with him, he’d make sure the boy never felt an ounce of pain or remorse, and anything he _could_ do for him, he _would_.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Hyunwoo awoke to the sweet smell of raspberries mixing perfectly with that of strong, full bodied coffee. He rolled over onto his side, half expecting Hoseok to be curled up next to him, but the small space where the boy would’ve slept was barren, and had been all night. Hoseok had actually left him alone and let him sleep. To say he was shocked was quite the understatement.

He trudged down the hallway, shielding his eyes for a moment when the bright light from the kitchen greeted him. Hoseok was there, large mug clasped in his hands, staring diligently down at the local newspaper and having an entire conversation with himself as he read over the help wanted ads out loud. Hyunwoo couldn’t help but smile, coming up quietly behind Hoseok, placing strong hands on the omega’s shoulders. Hoseok turned his head and kissed Hyunwoo’s fingers, rubbing his cheek against them in a slow, deliberate manner.

“Thought you were gonna sleep all day, hyung,” he said, nipping at Hyunwoo’s pinky. Hyunwoo pulled his hand away before the boy’s teeth broke skin, and gave him a gentle flick on the back of his neck.

“If I didn’t have to work, I would have.”

Hoseok audibly sighed, shoulders hunching forward and glare returning to the newspaper. “Are you gonna tell Kihyun about us?” The pain in his voice was evident, but the alpha shrugged off the obvious in favor of wrapping his arms around Hoseok and brushing his plush lips over the scent gland at the bend of Hoseok’s neck. The omega shuddered, a soft moan leaving his mouth. He angled his face towards Hyunwoo, body suddenly alight with need. “Hyung-,” he breathed, muscles quivering as Hyunwoo’s hot breath caressed his skin like silk.

Before Hoseok could take advantage of the situation, Hyunwoo stepped back, striding across the tiny kitchen in search of a clean mug he could fill with strong, black coffee. The first sip sent warmth throughout his entire body. His eyes fluttered closed and his calloused hands tightened around the mug. He had always compared the initial taste of a bold brew in the morning to that of the opening wave of an orgasm; one that would surely take him to heights unknown if he just slowed down and savored every sweet, blissful moment. It was an odd comparison to most, but one that brought him comfort when the tightly wound ends of his mind would start to fray.

Keen senses momentarily dulled by the euphoria easing him into his happy place, he didn’t notice when Hoseok came up behind him and stood flush at his backside. Though the smell of the coffee in his nostrils was potent, his eyes flew open and the mug nearly slipped from his hands when Hoseok’s overwhelming scent carried over his shoulders and wrapped around him like a blanket. His breath hitched in his throat and he tried to push the scent out of his nose, somehow managing to set the mug down with a shaking hand. Behind the sweetness was a tinge of something sharper; something on the brink of forcing its way into every one of his pores.

_Hoseok was in heat._

“Stop,” Hyunwoo said, holding his breath the moment the word left his lips. He carefully side-stepped away from Hoseok and turned to face him. His expression was stern, but his eyes could barely focus on the beautiful omega staring back at him. He hoped his push of scolding alpha pheromones would halt the boy’s urges, at least long enough for both their scents to return to normal.

Silence stretched between them, alpha battling down omega until the lack of oxygen started to make Hyunwoo’s head fuzzy. When Hoseok’s eyes finally fell, Hyunwoo exhaled and relaxed his shoulders. “So that’s why you left me alone last night.”

Hoseok nodded meekly. “I thought I had it under complete control, hyung. I’m sorry.”

“No,” Hyunwoo sighed, placing a hand on Hoseok’s cheek. “I should’ve known better. It’s just, been so long since I’ve fucked an omega.” He pulled his hand back before Hoseok could rub into his palm and softened his expression. “All the more reason for me _not_ to call in today.”

Hoseok quirked an eyebrow, tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You were gonna?”

Hyunwoo shrugged a shoulder and walked past him, giving a wink as he did. Once back in his bedroom, the weight of what had just happened, or _could’ve_ happened, hit him like a freight truck. The boy hadn’t been in his care for a full 24 hours and they’d already been intimate with each other. Hoseok had been spurred into heat; surely it wouldn’t be long before Hyunwoo’s rut would overtake him. He’d normally stay home for the few days his rut was in full swing, only having Kihyun come over if the need grew too great for him to handle on his own. But an omega in heat? In his home and during his rut?

_Yet another recipe for disaster. Hyunwoo was sure of that_.

With his default heady sigh and curses at himself, he quickly changed into his uniform and gathered his things. Maybe he could stay at Kihyun’s for awhile. Hell, there were extra cots at the station, one of them was sure to be available at his disposal. Last resort and all.

He was cautious as he walked back into the kitchen. Hoseok was sitting at the table again, attention focused on his newspaper. “Do you need a phone?” he asked, trying to avoid any mention of their near miss.

 “If you think I should have one,” Hoseok responded, keeping his gaze trained on the words that were starting to jumble in his head.

 Hyunwoo grunted once as he slipped his shoes and jacket on, but paused as he reached for the door handle. “I’ll,,, be back later this evening. I think it’d be best if you didn’t leave the apartment, Hoseok. A lot of unruly alphas in this neighborhood.”

 Hoseok glanced up as Hyunwoo left without another word. A goodbye would’ve been nice, but at the moment, he felt he didn’t even deserve _that._ Years spent learning how to keep his heat at bay, ruined by a single action. It made him truly realize how much he’d missed Hyunwoo, further spurring his thoughts into a much deeper, darker place.

It was why he had turned to such a heavy mix of drugs, alcohol, and suppressants. He needed Hyunwoo as much as he needed air; the last few years apart had just seen him choking on what little life he had left. Being back in the alpha’s presence for more than a fleeting moment would be more than a challenge for him; it would be a life or death situation until a final decision was made. He only hoped that whatever feelings Hyunwoo still harbored for him were enough to truly bring them back together, and finally give him his greatest desire since the first time they laid eyes upon each other.

~ ~ ~

Unlike the previous day, the station was abuzz with lighthearted energy and news that someone was getting a promotion. Hyunwoo had barely made it through the front door before a coworker was shoving plates of cake and ice cream at him, insisting that he _‘turn that scowl into something less foul_ ’. This _had_ to be Kihyun’s doing; the beta was notorious for pretending he cared about good news and promotions; always one step ahead of the Forensics girl that honeymooned as a party planner.

Hyunwoo was almost surprised that there were no streamers or balloons tied to the cell bars.

He sat quietly at his desk, slowly working on his third piece of cake, when Kihyun finally appeared from the depths of the station’s unoccupied back office that often doubled as a second interrogation room. The beta made sure to keep his fake smile plastered to his perfect face as he sat on the edge of Hyunwoo’s desk, mumbling something about the Forensics girl finally realizing he was better than her.

“You’re here early,” Kihyun chirped, swiping a finger through the ice cream melting on Hyunwoo’s plate and sucking it off said finger in an overtly seductive manner.

Hyunwoo tossed the plate in the trash and furrowed his brows. “Just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s always yours.”

Kihyun scowled at him and jumped down off the desk. “In a mood today, hyung?”

Rolling his eyes, Hyunwoo chose to ignore the latter question in favor of answering the first. “It’s Monday,” he said flatly. “Why wouldn’t I be here early?”

Kihyun’s expression twisted into one of pure confusion. He glanced around, cautious, then slid his way over to Hyunwoo, bending down casually to whisper in the alpha’s ear. “I assumed, given your current scent, that you’d be spending the day with your little omega toy. Apparently things didn’t go as planned?”

Hyunwoo didn’t feel his fist balling tight, nor did he notice the way the veins in his neck flexed and pulsed like he’d just ran a marathon and was desperate for a full, clean breath. Even the beads of sweat that collected at his temples and trickled down in a slow stream didn’t alert him to what was about to come.

But the sound of a bone snapping when he grabbed the beta by the wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back- that sound was enough to break him out of the wicked spell his rut had cast over him the moment Kihyun had mentioned Hoseok.

As if in slow motion, Hyunwoo watched Kihyun fall to the ground, screaming obscenities and attempting to cradle his broken arm as he writhed in pain on the cold station tile. Other officers rushed to help the beta, each doing their best to keep a clear distance from the towering alpha standing over Kihyun’s small frame as he was carefully dragged away.

Hyunwoo heard their Chief yelling his name, but it was like an echo, faint and broken by the ringing in his ears. When the Chief stepped up to face him, he immediately turned on a heel and ran for the door. There were no other alphas in the station, so he didn’t have to worry about being followed, but the strong scent pouring from him as he ran to his car was sure to sent off alarms if one was to pass nearby. And surely the local omega’s that tended to linger close by would pick up the pungent smell immediately.

He didn’t have time to care if Kihyun was ok or not, or that the buzzing of his phone in his pocket felt like it would drill a hole in his leg if it didn’t stop soon; he needed to get as far away from anything familiar until his rut was over. But where that far away was, he just didn’t know.

~ ~ ~

It didn’t take long before he was out of the city and driving down an oddly familiar backroad that seemed to lead deeper and deeper into the woods and up a mountain pass that had claimed its fair share of lives. The further away from civilization, the better, at least giving himself enough time to process what had happened, and figure out how to keep it from happening again. Before he knew it, the twisting road opened up to a clearing, and at the end of it stood a large, elaborate cabin surrounded by ornate black metal fencing and a gate with the initials CHW twisted into the beams.

He pulled slowly up to the gate, curious, seeing no cars in the driveway, but suddenly feeling that wash of familiarity when he realized where he was. He pushed the button on his door, sending the window up at a crawl too slow to shut out the world before the world decided to answer.

“You got a new car,” said a smooth voice through the intercom attached to the gate. “I like it.” Written in gold lettering on the intercom were the words, The Castle.

Hyunwoo stayed silent, eyes flitting up through the front window to the camera zooming in on him from above.

_He wasn’t actually here; there was no way, even in a jumble of fucked up thoughts and actions and raging hormones, that he would’ve driven to this place_.

His hand slid to the shifter and his foot to the gas pedal. No harm, no foul if he left right now. But beyond the simple movements, he couldn’t will himself to continue.

“So, what, you show up, unexpected, and you’re just gonna sit there?” The voice was playful, but there was a lazy drawl to it that easily could’ve been misconstrued as annoyance.

Hyunwoo’s finger was hovering over the button on the door. The window was just inches from being all the way up. _Come on, Hyunwoo. Just fucking drive away,_ he repeated to himself. His real voice betrayed him.

“You shouldn’t let me in,” he said, hand clenching around the shifter knob.

“I know,” the voice said back. “I can smell you from here, dude.”

Hyunwoo’s stare flitted up again, scanning the property grounds through the thick fencing, searching for some sign of Hyungwon watching him from afar. His own voice echoed in his head again- _Just fucking leave. Drive away and pretend you were never even here._

Gears crunching and turning broke past the restless voice when the gate opened.

_There’s still time. You don’t have to go in. JUST FUCKING LEAVE._

“I’ll see you soon,” Hyungwon said, and then the intercom clicked off, and Hyunwoo shifted into drive and pushed the gas pedal.

~ ~ ~

Chae Hyungwon was not your average sort of fellow. Aside from being obnoxiously tall- even a couple bits taller than Hyunwoo, and sporting the finest, god-given lips and cheekbones Hyunwoo had ever seen, his constant lackadaisical mannerisms had given way to an unprecedented sense of ego. Within all of this, he was funny and charming and sometimes even whimsical with his words. But no one, even Hyunwoo, knew how he could jump back and forth between the two personalities so easily. And not once did he intentionally push his ego or his good fortune in the faces of those that could’ve been thought of as ‘beneath’ him.

Hyunwoo appreciated that, but also knew damn well that if Hyungwon was given the choice, he’d completely shut himself off from the world and make sure he was known to everyone as ‘the mysterious genius that lives in the castle on the mountain’; only his legacy would precede him.

Fully indentured Neuroscientist by trade and design (indentured, of course, to the science itself), and moonlighting as a psychotherapist whenever the often sickening need for misguided gossip and over sharing would become too much of a welcomed burden, Hyungwon had already gained quite a notorious reputation by the age of 25. While he preferred the latter job to the former, it was the scientist in him that had been the first to discover a suppressant that alpha’s could take to ease the beginning rush of their rut. Many also thought it was the therapist in him as well that searched out a resolution to quell his constant addiction to knowledge; he _did_ scour the recesses of people’s minds as part of his living, after all.

Hyunwoo was one of those people. No one could convince him that Hyungwon wasn’t destined to actually _become_ that crazy old guy in the castle on the mountain. Hell, their unlikely friendship had started because of that very declaration.

Now, with the car stopped and the window rolled up and Hyungwon standing with folded arms in his doorway, staring Hyunwoo down with feigned interest, the alpha just had to laugh at himself, at the situation, and at what his life had become.

Leave it up to Hoseok to send him running towards the only alpha he knew that could simultaneously tear him apart, and stitch him back together in the same breath.

When he finally got out of his car, Hyungwon wiggled his nose and made a face as the thick, oakey scent rushed out of the car and caught in the breeze. He followed the face with a quick raise of his hand, as if to brush off his action, and his lips pushed out when he spoke. “Just kidding. You know it doesn’t bother me,” he said, stepping up to greet Hyunwoo when they stood face to face. “But I _am_ gonna ask why it’s so strong today. And you’d better not give me some lame, generic answer that I already know.”

Hyunwoo brought his eyes to meet Hyungwon’s. Even in the overcast day that was threatening to bring one hell of a storm, Hyungwon’s irises shown gold and green. There was something deep inside of them that Hyunwoo could sense would be dangerous once it came to the surface, but not once had he ever been tempted to search that thing out. Staring at the younger alpha, uncomfortable silence filling the space between them, he wondered why that was.

Though it wasn’t commonplace for alpha’s to fuck, Hyunwoo’s curiosities were starting to get the best of him. Hyungwon was truly beautiful to behold; a sight that would make sore eyes weep in an instant. His graceful, non-domineering nature that slipped out of its alpha cracks every now and then was more than enough to reel in the strongest of souls. And his scent matched that of a cologne of his own design; one that he had carefully crafted deep within the depths of his laboratory; one that was stripped of all alpha pheromones and shifted to something that even the most hungry of omega’s could handle in full heat.

Hyunwoo could never place the different smells that mixed together to create the perfect cocktail, but he had a feeling that Hyungwon was close to having the scent market-ready. And once that happened, alpha’s who hated their own nature and biology could finally free themselves from the dangers of a desperate omega whose only goal was to be bred.

“Why is it that every time you come over here, you space out within a matter of minutes?” Hyungwon asked, snapping Hyunwoo out of his daze.

The older alpha skirted the question and stepped past Hyungwon into the foyer. “You sure the smell doesn’t bother you?”

Hyungwon shut the door and caught up to Hyunwoo, who had already started to wander. He grabbed hold of Hyunwoo’s arm and spun him around. “If it did, you wouldn’t be here.” When Hyunwoo’s eyes shot down to the long fingers laced around his wrist, he let go. “But that begs the question- why are you?”

_Three years ago, a question like that wouldn’t have even been asked. Hyungwon would’ve welcomed his older alpha buddy into his home without so much as a curious side glance. But work for them both had started to take over their lives, and their once-in-awhile get togethers became once every few months, until Kihyun came into the picture. Since the day the rookie cop had joined Precinct 514, Hyunwoo hadn’t dared to visit Hyungwon. He knew the younger alpha would sense the mild shift in pheromones whenever Hyunwoo thought about slamming Kihyun up against the cell bars and fucking into him until the beta could no longer stand. And those thoughts came often; even more so once it actually started happening. Hyungwon would analyze every nook and cranny of Hyunwoo’s conscious and subconscious mind, reminding him of all the things that could and would go wrong. Matters were made worse when Hoseok returned, so Hyunwoo hadn’t sent Hyungwon so much as a text  message letting him know that things were ok._

Hyunwoo tried to accept the fact that he was actually standing in Hyungwon’s house again. “Do I need a reason to come and see a friend?”

Hyungwon shrugged and led them into the living room. “Given that it’s been almost a year- yeah, I’d say you sure as hell do.”

Hyunwoo sat down on one of the couches and let himself fall back. He smoothed his palms over his face and through his hair, then wiped the traces of sweat on his pants. “Can’t you smell it?” he asked. “I feel like a thousand showers won’t wash it away.”

Though significantly more subtle than Hyunwoo thought, the scent of Hoseok was still on his skin, and yes, Hyungwon could definitely pick up on it. Hyunwoo sat forward abruptly when he received no answer, eyes wide at the beauty that sat across from him who seemed about as carefree as they come. “How is it not driving you mad?!”

A Cheshire-like grin spread across Hyungwon’s face and he popped an eyebrow up. “Two things. One- he’s not my type. And two-, well, two, I’ll have to show you.”

“Bullshit to the first,” Hyunwoo snapped. “Hoseok is everyone’s type.” His hand slapped against his mouth, but not in time.

Hyungwon stood up and outstretched a hand to the older alpha. “Guess now would be the wisest time for you to see that second thing.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this chapter took so long. Thank u for your understanding!


	5. Chapter 5

“You know, it’s not a coincidence that you’re here today,” Hyungwon said as he pushed open the door to his laboratory. “Something told me that you’d show up sooner or later.”

Hyunwoo swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably because he knew where Hyungwon was going with this; it was territory that he didn’t want to be explored, mostly because he wasn’t sure which side of the younger alpha would come out- the scientist or the therapist. He was sure that both would be the absolute worst thing he could think of. “Please don’t go there,” he said, shielding his eyes when Hyungwon flipped on the light.

“Oh, come on. You know just as well as I do that that omega was bound to come back into your life at some point. From the smell of you, it seems he’s been around for awhile.” Hyungwon stopped and whirled around to face Hyunwoo. “Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” And there it was- the therapist, ready to take out his invisible notepad and jot down every word and make note of every twitch that Hyunwoo made.

“I told you not to go there,” Hyunwoo said again.

“Yeah, but you came here for a reason, and I’m pretty sure I know what that reason is.”

Hyunwoo sighed and bit at his bottom lip. Short of turning and fleeing back up the stairs and out the front door, there was no way to avoid the oncoming interrogation. Continuously trying to change the subject would only make Hyungwon push harder. They would eventually start to argue; one would get too mad at the other to take back what was said, and Hyunwoo would leave in a rage, only to be chased after and reeled back in until they could speak to each other like two alphas who somehow managed to stay friends despite the things said and done in spite. Even after a year of being apart, neither had changed enough to prevent _that_ from happening.

So, he gave in before Hyungwon had the chance to push the magic button.

“He’s back, and I don’t know what to do,” Hyunwoo said, crossing the room and studying all the intricate pieces that made up a lab that looked like something straight out of a sci-fi graphic novel. Looking through a large glass beaker full of blue liquid, he continued with- “I thought, if he ever returned, that I could handle it. That’d he’d be better and I wouldn’t have to try so hard to keep my biology at bay.”

“And why would you want to do a thing like that? You’re an alpha, Hyunwoo- a strong one at that. Fighting your nature wouldn’t be so hard if you just, I dunno, _didn’t_ do it in the first place.”

Hyunwoo shot Hyungwon a look of pure stupefaction. “Seriously? _You_ , out of all the alphas on the planet, are actually telling _me_ to stop fighting my nature.” He motioned around the room while walking back over to Hyungwon. “You’ve made a living trying to stamp down the things we deal with on a daily basis. You wear cologne that masks your alpha pheromones! _Fuck_ , Hyungwon, you invented something that takes the fucking edge off of a rut! So where in the hell do you get off telling anyone to stop fighting biology?!”

By this point, Hyunwoo was mere inches away from the younger alpha, but the pressing anger coming at Hyungwon wasn’t phasing him a bit. Instead, he skirted around Hyunwoo and grabbed a small vial of something that looked like black paste. When he stepped back up to face Hyunwoo, he raised the vial to Hyunwoo’s nose. Even when Hyunwoo turned away and put distance between them, the scent was still enough to deliver its much needed effect.

Within seconds, Hyunwoo’s tense shoulders dropped and his harsh, bewildered expression softened. Hyungwon set the vial back down after taking his own sniff of it and slowly walked over to Hyunwoo.

“Better?” he asked as he reached up and brushed the hair out of Hyunwoo’s eyes.

Hyunwoo didn’t flinch at the touch. Instead, he closed the small gap between them and brought his lips to Hyungwon’s ear. “Is that the stuff? The magic potion?” His voice sounded so strange in his head, almost like he was hearing an echo coming back at him after being called out into an endless cavern.

“There’s so much more to being an alpha than rage and dominance and ruts fueled by the never ending need to breed and claim and break, my friend. It’s a lock that’s always begged for a key. I’m merely giving you that key and asking that you open the door to a whole new world. This doesn’t just take the edge off, or shift your scent to something more bearable to both you, and the general population… This stops the ill effects of a rut in its tracks; snuffs them out before an omega can even get a sense of it. This makes a rut turn into the most pleasurable experience you could ever imagine… I call it, X.”

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo wanted to laugh out loud; he could feel the tickle of it creeping up the back of his throat, but it was like someone had slapped him in the face with a beautiful brick. He felt high, yet not impaired. Dancing on cloud 9 with his feet still planted firmly on the ground. The longer he stayed close to Hyungwon, the more he found himself swimming in the sweet smell of the alpha’s cologne. With the pheromones removed, he could actually enjoy the scent- revel in the moment his biology didn’t betray him.

In the back of his mind, a small voice kept reminding him that Hyungwon was another alpha, yet he felt no need to try and force his dominance on him. One of the worst things an alpha in close, or full rut could do was be around another alpha that couldn’t control him or herself when that rut became a dangerous thing. Someone was bound to get hurt, and Hyunwoo had learned how to recognize the first inklings of a rut that was going to steer him down a treacherous path. He would hold up in his apartment for the days that it was in full swing, doing anything and everything he could to distract himself. That usually entailed a few scorching hot showers and fair amount of sessions with himself, or Kihyun if he thought he could handle it, if only to relieve some of the constant pressure.

“You’re confusing,” he said, letting his head tip down towards the curve of Hyungwon’s neck. “Do you want me to fight biology? Or do you want me to embrace it? What are you asking for, Hyungwon?”

“What I want, is for you to know what it’s like to _really_ be an alpha. So many of us either take advantage of the anger and use it to force our power on others, or try to hide from what we are in the first place. It’s like there’s no in between anymore. An alpha’s relationship with anyone should be a thing of wonder- of pure, blissful pleasure that both parties can enjoy to the fullest. Once you strip away the madness, all that’s left is bliss.”

Hyungwon stepped back just before Hyunwoo’s lips connected with his neck. He retrieved the vial and brought it to his nose again, breathing in deeply until his eyelids began to flutter and his lips quivered. Hyunwoo just watched him, lost in the long, lean lines of the boy’s toned body and the way just the smallest of movements made his oversized button-down ripple around him.

“Stopping a rage-rut before it even starts isn’t the only thing this stuff can do,” Hyungwon grinned. “It also makes the smell of an omega’s heat something that’s easier to handle. That smokescreen it casts over us, clouding all rational thoughts and determining our potential actions will be gone. It will fill your senses with a calming euphoria. You’ll be able to fuck without consequence because you’ll only knot if you choose to do so. And the omega in your care will equally be able to control their own biology because your scent won’t be an overpowering thing.” He strode back over to Hyunwoo and grabbed his hand, then pulled him out of the lab and up the stairs until they were once again in the living room. This time, he sat next to the older alpha, fingers gripping the vial with a delicate hold.

“It’d be nice to know what it’s like to be with someone and not be controlled by the nature of the beast,” Hyunwoo said.

“Well, it’s still nature that’s controlling you. Just, a different type of nature.”

One thing about Chae Hyungwon that Hyunwoo could always count on- he never gave his secrets away for free, even to his closest friends. As he watched the way Hyungwon rolled the vial between his fingers, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d have to do for just a few drops of the magic contained inside of it. Then he realized that not only had the therapist come out, but the scientist as well, and both of them were still breathing, still in one piece and short any type of argument. The thought sort of stunned him.

“So, how long does it last?” He narrowed his eyes at Hyungwon before he asked his second question. “And what do I have to do to get some?”

Hyungwon chuckled under his breath and set the vial down. At some point, he’d put a cap on it, but for the life of him, Hyunwoo couldn’t remember seeing him do it. “Just a single drop inside each nostril will last about a day. And no, blowing your nose won’t make it go away.” He knew Hyunwoo well enough to know that that would be his next question. “It seeps into the membranes and only dissipates over time. I haven’t gone without it for longer than a full day yet, when I need it, so it could actually last longer.”

“Once an addict, always an addict,” Hyunwoo said, quirking an eyebrow. Hyungwon just laughed and shrugged a shoulder.

“As for what you have to do to get some, I've got to say I’m a little upset that you’d think I wouldn’t just give this to you with no strings attached.”

“Ha! You’re entire existence is a tangle of attached strings, and I’m no fool. Just because we haven’t seen each other for a year, doesn’t mean you’ve changed into an entirely different person. The last twenty minutes have proved that.”

Hyungwon laughed again and threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine, you caught me red handed, _officer_.” One quick shift of his body, and he and Hyunwoo’s eyes were locked. “Now,,, what are you going to do with me?”

~ ~ ~

Kissing Hyungwon was nothing like Hyunwoo expected it to be. They both had incredibly full and intricately shaped lips, so he was quite certain that the kiss would be sloppy and awkward, at best. While he hadn’t actually thought _much_ about it, as being with another alpha was the farthest thing from his mind, he’d be lying if he said that Hyungwon had never slipped into one of his steaming hot shower fantasies.

To his surprise, their lips fit perfectly together, and Hyungwon seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Hyunwoo kept expecting the unwanted rush of pheromones to hit him like a truck, dragging him along until he finally threw his hands up and surrendered to their evil ways, but the kiss continued to be soft and almost rhythmic as they moved their lips together. Even when the younger alpha’s fingers slid into his thick hair and tightened, craning his head back with a fair amount of force, his rut receded even further.

“Doesn’t it feel good to not be controlled by all that rage?” Hyungwon whispered against Hyunwoo’s skin. “All the _unnecessary_ desperation?”

Hyunwoo sort of grunted his response and slid his hands under Hyungwon’s legs, easily picking him up and straddling him across his lap. When their lips came together again, he moved those hands up the curve of Hyungwon’s ass and into the loose confines of his shirt, eliciting a lazy moan from the younger alpha.

“How do you feel?” Hyungwon whispered, grinding himself on Hyunwoo’s growing hard on. When the older alpha didn’t respond right away, he grabbed him by the scruff of the neck again and forced their eyes to lock.

Just that action, done twice now, should’ve been enough to send Hyunwoo over the edge. Instead, though extremely turned on, his nerves were calm. When he splayed his hands across the small of Hyungwon’s lower back, his palms were dry. Even the points of his temples and the slightly furrowed ridges of his forehead bore no sweat.

“Aside from the fact that I want to fuck you into next week, I feel fine.”

Hyungwon brought his perfect lips to Hyunwoo’s ear and nipped at the lobe. “He says,,, to the other _alpha_.” He pulled back and searched Hyunwoo’s dark eyes, then trailed a finger along his jaw and kissed him on the nose. “If you can handle being like this with _me_ , you can handle anything.” Reaching behind him and grabbing the vial, he unstraddled the older alpha.

Hyunwoo didn’t protest, despite how badly he wanted to. But he did say, “You gonna finally tell me what you want in exchange for it? Thought it might have been me, but, I guess that was the wrong conclusion.”

Hyungwon rolled his eyes in defeat and confessed his desires. “Oh, I _do_ want you, but not until you’ve had ample time to learn the new ways of being an alpha. For now, I’d like to, _borrow_ , your omega.”

“What? Why?” Hyunwoo was thoroughly confused. “Don’t you have your own?”

“Actually, no,” Hyungwon sighed. “I’m not currently seeing anyone.” He raised the vial to his nose and breathed in. “And please don’t think I _want_ yours; I simply need a test subject. Your omega sounds like he’d be perfect for it.”

Hyunwoo thought about what Hyungwon was asking, but still didn’t understand why he would specifically ask for Hoseok. “Why him though?”

Hyungwon sighed and sat down across from Hyunwoo. “Before you checked out of our friendship completely, you told me every detail of your relationship with that man. I felt like I’d been a fly on the wall, witnessing every fight, every test of love and pain that you two shared. Even the slow burn and eventual fizzle that caused you to leave him. You’re a strong alpha, Hyunwoo. Probably the strongest I know. But he’s an equally strong omega, albeit, a different type of strength… You wouldn't have come here today if he didn’t still have that hold on you.”

“So you want to experiment on him? Treat him like some test animal?”

The longer the conversation went on, the more it should’ve built the rage inside of Hyunwoo like a mighty flood ready to crash through the breakers, but that rage never came. All that filled Hyunwoo’s mind were simple questions that needed simple answers… But nothing was simple when it came to Hyungwon.

“It hurts that you would think so lowly of me,” Hyungwon said. “Don’t you think that I have nothing but the best intentions for both him, and you?”

 _Had it been six months ago, Hyunwoo wouldn’t have even questioned the younger alpha’s desire to study his omega. He would’ve brought Hoseok to meet the great doctor/therapist with the hopes that somehow, he could be fixed. But now, staring into Hyungwon’s eyes without the cloud of mixed emotions that normally surrounded his rut, he wanted nothing more than to try and fix Hoseok himself, because it wasn’t Hyungwon he was worried about. It was Hoseok_.

“He’ll try and manipulate you. It’s what he’s best at.”

Hyungwon shrugged. “He won’t be successful. The therapist, and the alpha in me will see to that.” He didn’t give Hyunwoo another chance to respond. “Bring him here tomorrow, pick him up whenever you’re done with your shift. And I’ll prove to you that I mean well- that I’m only trying to help.” He stood and extended the vial to Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo swallowed hard when he stood as well, but he took it and slipped it in his pocket as Hyungwon started to usher him towards the front door. “Remember, one small drop in each nostril, and you’ll be all set.”

Hyunwoo left without another word exchanged between them. When he drove through the gate and watched as it closed behind him, he couldn’t help but wonder how long Hyungwon had been planning all of this. Had he just been waiting for the day Hyunwoo caved and came to see him? Were his intentions truly good? Would Hoseok even agree to see him?

Questions that needed answers, but ones that put a lump in the pit of his stomach. And then there was the matter of what he’d done earlier, to Kihyun. He checked his phone, but the only missed calls were from his boss’s phone.

 _Later_ , he thought to himself. _I’ll deal with that later._


	6. Chapter 6

The moment Hyunwoo opened the door that led to the stairwell that led to his apartment, he could smell Hoseok’s heat.

Cautious, with keen senses on high alert, he looked around and breathed in deeply, trying to track any unwanted alpha’s nearby that surely could pick up the scent as well. To his relief, there was nothing, so he shut the door behind him and  trudged up the stairs, fumbling with the vial in his pocket.

He soon stood on the hallway side of his own door, palm flattened to the cool metal, ears listening intently. He’d done as Hyungwon told him to do before he’d gotten out of his car; just one drop in each nostril, and all would be well,,, he hoped. There was a part of him that felt guilty for what he had, and had _almost_ done with Hyungwon, and a part that was sure Kihyun would never speak to him again. But what was left was fully focused on the omega just inside the door. He closed his eyes and let Hoseok’s sweet scent fill his lungs, yet all that washed over him was an unclouded sense of euphoria; one that he’d never felt before. Especially not in the height of his rut.

Was he even still _in_ his rut? Or was what Hyungwon told him true- that whatever was in the vial had just stopped it in its tracks.

The longer he stood, unmoving, the greater his desire grew to just find Hoseok and hold him close. Breathe him in and finally be able to enjoy something that so few alphas knew could be real and pure and innocent. Even through the thick metal, he could hear the sound of the shower turning on, and the image of Hoseok- pale and naked and trying to wash away the one thing he thought Hyunwoo hated him for, shot straight to his dick, and his eyelids fluttered open and he pushed his way through the door.

~ ~ ~

Steam was already seeping out from under the bathroom door by the time Hyunwoo found a good hiding place for the vial and stripped out of his clothing. He wondered if Hoseok could smell him, and if he could, why he wasn’t saying anything. He slipped into the bathroom and took a quick second to peel through the layers of steam before stepping up to the shower curtain and hooking a finger on it.

“Sure you wanna do that?” Hoseok asked.

Hyunwoo pulled back the curtain and stared at the omega at the other end of the shower. Hoseok wasn’t standing under the hot spray. He was sitting with his legs tucked up to his chest and his thick arms formed and flexed to hold them there. Hyunwoo nodded and extended his hand, patiently waiting for Hoseok to take it. When he finally did, Hyunwoo pulled him up and immediately into his embrace. Water hit Hoseok’s back and splattered onto Hyunwoo’s face; it was even hotter than he normally had it, but he didn’t care.

“I could smell you from downstairs, ya’ know.”

Hoseok sighed against Hyunwoo’s chest. “I can’t help it, hyung. Thought maybe a shower would help.” He looked up through wet lashes. “How are you even doing this right now? I can smell your rut.”

Hyunwoo ran a finger along Hoseok’s jaw and kissed him on the forehead. God, he could truly get lost in Hoseok’s amber colored eyes and all the stories they held. “Is it bad? The scent? Is it making you feel crazy?”

Hoseok thought for a moment then shook his head.

“Then does it really matter?”

“No, but-”

“Shhh.” Hyunwoo slid his hands down Hoseok’s body and took hold of his waist. “Just enjoy it.” As perplexed as he still was, he wasn’t about to let Hoseok’s indecision ruin what he was sure would be exactly the thing they both needed. He let his deep sense of curiosity take the wheel, turning the boy to face the wet wall. His half-hard cock wedged between them loosely, and the omega gasped.

Instinctively, Hoseok brought his hands up and placed them against the wall, glancing back over his shoulder and shuddering when Hyunwoo pulled their bodies together even closer. “I need you to trust me, Hoseok,” he said, sliding one hand between Hoseok’s ass and smoothing the pad of his forefinger up and down until Hoseok started to quiver under his touch and slick began to coat his fingertip.

Keenly focused, Hyunwoo found himself rolling Hyungwon’s instructions over and over again in his mind.

_He trusted Hyungwon, and, to a point, he trusted himself. If he felt his rut start to rear its ugly head, he would bolt as fast as he could. But this was uncharted territory for them, and in the back of Hyunwoo’s mind, he was begging that the faith he had in Hyungwon not to steer him down a dangerous path unarmed would not end in destruction. He remembered Hyungwon telling him that he could not only control his emotions, but his knot as well. With Hoseok in full heat, that would be the real test. Tucked right behind those thoughts were those knowing that Hoseok could still sense he was in his rut, so apparently, the magic potion he’d received didn’t take it away completely._

“ _Hyung_ ,” Hoseok breathed, pushing back against Hyunwoo’s finger. His scent dripped from every wet pore, his slick ran down the backs of his thighs and was washed away by the scalding hot water.

“If you feel crazy, tell me, ok?”

Hoseok nodded. “Only if you do the same.” He twitched forward when Hyunwoo pushed the finger inside of him, and a tiny yelp left his lips. He laid his forehead to the wall between his hands and breathed in his alpha. There was something different about Hyunwoo’s scent, something that felt like a new kind of invitation.

Hyunwoo pressed his lips to the back of Hoseok’s neck and hummed against him. “You’re so wet for me already,” he whispered, careful to really focus on the way the omega reacted to every little movement. He had forgotten how nice it could be when they were able to take their time; forgotten just how good it felt with their bodies so close together and their skin slick and warm. “Do you want another?”

Hoseok breathed a ‘ _yes’_ and pinned his eyes shut. Hyunwoo pulled his finger out and carefully added a second, causing Hoseok to push back into him again. His hands started to slide down the wet wall. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve immediately brought them up again, sure that Hyunwoo would want him to keep them there, but the alpha took his left hand and entwined their fingers, then placed it on his own hip. Hoseok matched it with his right, blunt nails pushing into Hyunwoo’s skin, head turned just enough to see the imposing alpha hovering behind him.

Hyunwoo moved his lips to Hoseok’s scent gland and ghosted them over it. He sighed when Hoseok’s breath hitched in response. “I never thought I could miss a scent more than I’ve missed yours, Hoseok... Miss anyone more than I’ve missed _you_.”

The alpha’s words sent a shudder through Hoseok’s pliant, waiting body. He wanted to beg Hyunwoo to claim him, plead on hands and knees until his alpha gave him exactly what he’d always wanted, but something stopped him, and that something, whatever it was, kept his hands locked on Hyunwoo’s hips and the side of his forehead resting against the wall without a single, imploring   word. He tried to respond to Hyunwoo, willing those words to leave his parted lips. Nothing but a soft moan escaped him, and his blunt fingernails dug into Hyunwoo’s skin even deeper.

Hyunwoo slid an arm around Hoseok’s waist and lapped over the sensitive gland. Slick coated his fingers, and Hoseok went weak in the knees, trembling in Hyunwoo’s strong hold. He searched for the spot deep inside that sent every sane man into the depths of ecstasy, and bore down on that spot when he found it. Hoseok pulsed around him, slick seeping out as his body throbbed.

Hyunwoo knew it was now or never. If he could control his knot, as Hyungwon had said, Hoseok’s need to be bred could also be controlled. Every part of him filled with a rolling heat. His nerve endings sparked and sizzled as the hot water trickled down between them. He closed his eyes and lined himself up with Hoseok’s entrance, gauging the omega’s reaction with sharp attentions.

At first push, Hoseok stilled in his arms and his grip loosened. “You ok?”

“ _Yes_ ,” was all the omega could say. He hissed the word, drawing it out as it spilled over his tongue. He was so wet, so hot, so _ready_. He balked back, taking more of Hyunwoo’s cock inside of him, letting the alpha fill him inch by inch.

Hyunwoo brought his hands up to clasp over Hoseok’s chest. He squeezed his nipples between his fingers and massaged the tightly flexed muscles until Hoseok started to relax against him. His hips moved with a fluid motion, in and out, until he was buried to the hilt and skin touched skin. He held himself there, deep inside his omega- the one he refused to claim yet always came back to- and brought his lips to Hoseok’s ear.

“When it’s time, I’m going to cum inside you, Hoseok,” he said, moving his hips just a little. “But you know what to do.” In his arms, Hoseok was compliant liquid. He buried his face in the bend of Hoseok’s neck, and started to move again, each thrust pinning the omega’s cock between the wall and his body.

Hoseok tried again to cry out as the world around him swirled in a mix of colors and sounds and sensations he hadn’t felt in so long. He released Hyunwoo’s hips and planted his hands back on the wet wall, languidly clawing at it each time his alpha filled him. Though he didn’t understand why, his overwhelming desire for Hyunwoo’s massive knot fell away, bit by bit, and he let himself unravel, lost in the ecstasy of something that no longer resembled his typical heat. It was pure, and it was perfect.

Hyunwoo lapped again along Hoseok’s neck, shifting his weight whenever the boy would hitch forwards or backwards, caressing his firm muscles each time Hoseok’s knees went weak beneath him. The hot water had doused Hoseok’s shoulders with splotches of red, so Hyunwoo kissed and licked over them, then sucked lightly until splashes of a deeper red spread out like webs. Hoseok was so supple like this, all his hard edges melting away, his sharp tongue caught between his teeth as he fought the urge to moan like a pornstar.

_“Let go, baby_ ,” Hyunwoo urged, driving forward and burying deep.

Hoseok whimpered against the tile and gritted his response. “ _You first, my alpha.”_

That was all it took.

Hyunwoo spilled into him, groaning with wet lips quivering along his skin, large hands and thick arms wrapped around him keeping him as close as possible. Hoseok was able to cry out then, his voice echoing out through the small confines when he came as well. His wet lashes fluttered and his heart skipped beats. His mind was a jumble yet any crazed thought had been kept at bay. Every nerve was on fire, every breath stunted until the high washed over them and let go of its own hold.

When Hyunwoo’s grip started to lax, Hoseok turned his head and smiled a sated smile. “ _How?”_ Hyunwoo giggled softly against his neck and carefully slid out of him.

“Let’s get cleaned up before the water goes cold, then I’ll tell you.”

Hoseok was just fine with that.

~ ~ ~

The alpha and omega soon found themselves in loosely wrapped towels and tightly wrapped arms, lying together on a couch barely big enough to accommodate just one of them. Hoseok snuggled against Hyunwoo’s broad chest, breathing in his woodland scent and listening intently as he told of his experience with Hyungwon. Hyunwoo left out the explicit details of what almost happened with the other alpha, but the rest of the story was there, and Hoseok was fascinated.

“I didn’t know there could be such a thing,” he whispered into Hyunwoo’s skin. “If I ever meet this alpha, remind me to thank him.”

Hyunwoo also left out the part about breaking Kihyun’s arm and running from the station in a rage-filled rut; something he knew he would have to deal with sooner rather than later. He hadn’t dared to look at his phone since leaving Hyungwon’s house, but he was sure it was filled with more missed calls and unread messages. He also didn’t want to mention Hyungwon asking to see Hoseok, hoping they could save that conversation for another time, despite Hyungwon’s instructions.

“Maybe, I could have him treat me,” Hoseok said when Hyunwoo didn’t respond to him right away. Hyunwoo froze for a moment. “I mean, a therapy session, hyung, nothing else.” He pried himself away from the alpha and looked into his eyes. “Maybe it would be good for me to have someone, _professional_ to talk to.”

Hyunwoo’s face scrunched with an unsure expression. Surely it was too soon to let Hoseok be around another alpha, even _if_ said alpha was a trusted friend who just happened to be the reason they were able to be so close without wanting to tear each other apart at the seams. Despite the worry, he wanted to please Hoseok; prove to him that his trust and faith was returning. Regardless, he would let Hyungwon know that tomorrow’s plan would have to be put off for a few more days.

“Once your heat is over, I can give him a call.”

Hoseok kissed him quick then curled up in his arms. For now, they both just wanted to enjoy the rare opportunity given to them, so neither pushed the issue any further, and eventually, they fell asleep in a huddled mass of tangled arms and tangled legs.

~ ~ ~

Hoseok’s heat lasted three more days. Hyunwoo had called into the station and told their dispatcher that he wouldn’t be in until his rut was over. To his surprise, the Chief allowed it, but reminded him that he would be reprimanded once he returned. All the missed messages were deleted without Hyunwoo reading them, too. Even though he was worried about Kihyun, he knew the beta could handle his own, so he didn’t want to see all the things Kihyun had texted him during his absence.

He called Hyungwon as well, letting him know the new plan. The younger alpha of course protested, claiming that it was best when he could work with an omega currently in heat, but Hyunwoo refused, and Hyungwon had no choice but to go along with it.

Hoseok and Hyunwoo fucked every chance they got, which was often considering that neither of them left the apartment the whole time. To be extra safe, Hyunwoo repeatedly dotted the insides of his nostrils with the contents of the vial. Not once did he knot, even when Hoseok was clawing at his skin and swallowing him down, or when the omega would ride him until his slick was running down Hyunwoo’s body like a fiery waterfall.

Not once did he feel the need to bare his teeth and claim his prize.

Though Hyunwoo had told Hoseok about the vial, he kept it hidden in a place he knew Hoseok wouldn’t be able to find. It was the only fear he still held- unsure of the consequences if Hoseok got ahold of it. He cursed at himself for not asking Hyungwon what would happen if an omega actually ingested the serum.

_...But even the best drugs can’t keep you high forever, and eventually, we all come crashing down_.

On what seemed like the final night of Hoseok’s heat, Hyunwoo found the vial empty. He hadn’t even realized he’d used that much. How was it possible in just a few days? He called Hyungwon repeatedly, but not once did the other alpha answer. He was sure that Hoseok hadn’t left his site the entire time, but the thought still plagued him. The last thing he wanted was to be without the only thing helping them both, just in case the boy’s heat decided to return, or worse, that his rut would once again rear its ugly head.

Hoseok had fallen asleep earlier in the night, and while Hyunwoo didn’t want to leave him unattended, he needed answers, so he kissed him quick, wrote a note that said he’d be home soon, and left the apartment to track down the only one that could give him any kind of help.


	7. Chapter 7

“It’s a drug, Hyunwoo. Hence why it’s supposed to be used sparingly.” Hyungwon was slowly pacing the length of his laboratory and gnawing at his fingernails. “Why weren’t you more careful?”

Hyunwoo flashed him a look of disgust. “You think I wasn’t? Yeah, I may have used a little more than you recommended, but I sure as hell didn’t snort the shit like it was the only thing keeping me alive.”

“Yet here we are, with an empty vial.”

The two alpha’s stared at each other, neither backing down. As Hyunwoo looked into Hyungwon’s narrowed eyes, an inconsolable thought hit him, and he laxed his shoulders and stepped away.

“Hoseok,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Maybe he found it.” He whirled around to face Hyungwon again. “What happens to an omega that uses that stuff?”

Hyungwon huffed and threw his hands up. “You say that like I’m supposed to know. I mean shit, you’ve been with him this entire time. Don’t you know if he took it or not? What has he been like the last three days?”

“We fucked a lot, but he didn’t seem, I dunno, tweaked out or anything. He was just, really horny, all the time.”

“That doesn’t answer my whole question. _Did he take it_?”

“I don’t know! Why the fuck don’t _you_ know what could happen if he did though?”

“Because it’s not like I dared give it to an omega just to find out. It’s meant for us, Hyunwoo, not them.”

Hyunwoo grabbed Hyungwon by the shoulders but immediately let him go when the color in his eyes shifted to a golden hue. He didn’t want to think about all the bases they should’ve covered before Hyungwon handed over the vial, or the fact that the alpha should’ve just straight up given him all the facts in the first place.

Hyungwon sighed and sat down in his lab chair. “Did you knot?” Hyunwoo shook his head. “How many times did you cum inside him?”

“A little personal, don’t you think?”

“Not when you want answers it isn’t.”

“...Every time we had sex.”

“And is he on suppressants?”

Hyunwoo shrugged and his face filled with worry. “I know he has them, but I’m not sure if he’s been good about taking them everyday.”

The air in the lab started to grow heavy. It wrapped around Hyunwoo like an uncomfortable blanket, and suddenly, he wanted out and as far away from Hyungwon as possible. Clearly, the scientist had no clue what could happen if Hoseok took the serum himself, and his endless string of what Hyunwoo felt were unnecessary questions was starting to aggravate him. When the younger alpha stood and crossed the room to face him, he found himself backed up against the only exit.

“You really need to bring him to see me,” Hyungwon said, trailing a finger up Hyunwoo’s side. “If he did, in fact, use the rest of the serum, I don’t know what would happen. I’m inclined to think that nothing would, since it wasn’t made for him. But since you say he wasn’t acting any different, are you sure he actually took the stuff? Sure it wasn’t _you_ that used it all?”

“I- I don’t know.”

“Well, one thing we know for sure, is that Hoseok is an addict, Hyunwoo. And to him, _you’re_ a drug.  If he’s not fully out of his heat, he needs you there. Regardless of whether he took it or not, what does an addict do when all the drugs in close proximity are gone?”

Hyunwoo was out the door in an instant. He didn’t need to answer Hyungwon’s question, or wait to hear anything more. Addicts went looking for more drugs, simple as that.

Never in his life had he driven home in such a panicked state.

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo burst through his door yelling out Hoseok’s name. The only thing he was thankful for was the fact that his rut was over, but the worry that consumed him was the thing clouding his judgment now.

He searched every room in his small apartment. Hoseok’s things were still there, but his shoes and the hoodie he had borrowed from Hyunwoo were missing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, then remembered he still hadn’t gotten one for Hoseok yet.

The phone buzzed in his hand. It was Kihyun.

“Where is he,” Hyunwoo said, not giving Kihyun the chance to say anything before questioning him.

Kihyun laughed in his ear, a shrill sound that mocked Hyunwoo’s concern. “Down the hill, at max… Where he belongs.”

The phone went dead, and Hyunwoo was out the door once again.

~ ~ ~

The small town’s maximum security prison was a place that housed all the worst criminals within the surrounding three counties. Most people in the area worked there, at least part time, so when Hyunwoo barged through the front doors and made his way quickly through the security check and down the hall to the front desk, he was greeted by someone all too familiar.

Changkyun rose from behind his desk and outstretched his arms despite being behind a thin pane of plexiglass. “Officer Son! Long time no see.” Hyunwoo’s pressing expression caused him to sit back down and crook a concerned brow. “Why are you here? I don’t see any transfers for tonight,” he said, looking over the list of daily duties in front of him.

Hyunwoo waved a hand at him. “Shin Hoseok, he was brought here earlier tonight. I need to know which block he’s in and what happened.”

Changkyun flipped through the stack of new arrivals and shook his head. “No one here by that name. Got a Lee Hoseok, though. Just processed,,, for assault. Arresting officer said he’d used up his last chance, hence why they brought him here. I guess everything went down pretty fast.”

Hyunwoo bit back his anger, sure that Kihyun had something to do with this. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“He a friend of yours?”

Hyunwoo nodded reluctantly. When Changkyun started to speak again, he raised a hand and stopped him. “Just have him brought down to the visitor’s room. I need to talk to him.”

“Hyung, that’s not really-“

“Just do it, _beta_!”

Changkyun grabbed the phone and sent Hyunwoo through to the visiting area.

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo was well aware that it wasn’t standard practice to let a freshly processed inmate have a visitor, but the year he’d spent working at the prison had earned him a great deal of respect, and he’d never asked for such a request before. It was his friend and former coworker, Minhyuk- another beta, that brought Hoseok down to see him. Friends or not, the look on Minhyuk’s face was less than cheerful.

“You’ve got five minutes,” he said, shoving Hoseok towards the waiting alpha.

Hyunwoo snarled at him, then stopped when Hoseok’s strong scent washed over him. “I've got as long as I need.” Minhyuk didn’t protest.

Hoseok practically fell into Hyunwoo’s arms. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks and his hands shook as they tugged at Hyunwoo’s jacket. Hyunwoo let the embrace continue for only a moment, then sat Hoseok down across from him.

“What the hell happened?” He’d only left Hoseok alone for a couple hours, in what he assumed had been a placid state. But he knew the boy too well, and the thought of what he might have done chilled him to his heated core.

Hoseok spoke through quivering lips and broken tones. “You weren’t there when I woke up. I was scared and I had no way to get ahold of you.” He wiped the tears from his eyes, but they started to fall again. “I thought my heat was over, but it was worse. It _hurt,_ hyung. My whole body was screaming at me, my head felt crazy.”

Hyunwoo tried to stay calm. “Hoseok, did you use what was in the vial?”

Hoseok nodded and ran his hands through his sweaty hair. “I didn’t know where you were or when you’d be back. I know that stuff was just meant for you, but it was like I _needed_ it, needed _you_. I wanted to experience what it felt like to take it, so this afternoon when you were in the bathroom I poured out what was left into a cup and hid it. I took the rest of it right before I fell asleep, when you were showering. It knocked me out, but when I woke up my whole body felt like it was being ripped apart.”

Hyunwoo’s voice was soft and even. “And when you used the last of it, you needed more.”

“I’m so sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to leave the apartment, or hurt that guy. He was so small, but he was laughing at me the way an alpha laughs when they’ve put an omega in their place. I started wailing on him and I- I couldn’t stop.” Tears splashed down onto the table between them, and Hoseok dropped his head into his hands.

“You’ve got to stop crying, Hoseok. Things may normally be under control here, but there are still alphas that run this place, and from the smell of you, we were both wrong assuming your heat was over.”

“It’s not,” Hoseok sniffed. “I mean, it was, but as soon as I snorted the rest of that stuff, it must’ve come back even stronger. When I say it hurts, I’m not kidding. It still feels like my whole body is on fire and ready to burst.”

_Hyunwoo didn’t know what to do. Not once in all the years they were together did something cause Hoseok’s heat to return so quickly after it had passed, and even during a strong heat, there was never any kind of physical pain unless it was inflicted upon him by someone else. The magic potion that had brought them together in such a perfect way was now the reason Hoseok was back behind bars, only these bars were much less forgiving than those at Precinct 514._

“You’ve gotta help me, hyung. _Please_.”

“The only way you’ll be safe until your heat resides is if they put you in solitary. Can you handle that?”

Hoseok took Hyunwoo’s hands and immediately regretted it when the alphas scent swiped into his pores. He let them go and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Anything, if it’ll keep me away from everyone.”

Minhyuk approached them, tapping at his watch despite Hyunwoo’s earlier warning.

“I’ll get you out as soon as I can, ok?”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, baby. I promise.”

~ ~ ~

It pained Hyunwoo to watch Hoseok being dragged away. He may have told him at one point that if he wasn’t careful, this was exactly the place he’d end up, but Hyunwoo hadn’t expected the reason for it to be because of something _he’d_ done to cause it. Knowing that they would keep Hoseok in solitary until his heat passed helped ease his mind a little, but it was the _not_ knowing that was eating him alive.

What continued effects would the stuff he snorted have on him? Would he try to hurt himself? What if he never truly could shake himself free of the addiction?

All questions that Hyunwoo was sure only one man could answer, so as soon as he got home, he called Hyungwon and told him what had happened.

“I find it ironic that your boy is currently being held in a place I used to think of as a second home.”

Hyunwoo remembered that early in Hyungwon’s career he had taken the position of prison therapist at the max facility, and though it was fairly short-lived, Hyunwoo was positive that the time he spent there had only further fueled his addiction to knowledge; one, that with an alpha such as Hyungwon, was a dangerous addiction to have.

Though he didn’t know all the intricate details, Hyunwoo had been made privy to enough information that his skin crawled when he thought about all the times Hyungwon’s addiction got the best of him. Fucking to calm an unruly omega in his office became commonplace, and people tended to look the other way when rules such as those were broken, especially if it meant that an unruly omega could be put in his place unharmed. He’d left the prison with a promise to deliver some kind of suppressant for omega inmates that could not only keep them from being bred, but also prevent them from _wanting_ to be bred during their heat.

Needless to say, that was promise that Hyungwon still had yet to fulfill.

_“_ Will his heat subside?” Hyunwoo asked, practically wearing a hole in the floor as he paced.

“Eventually, I’m sure, but he should most definitely be kept as far away from any alphas as possible until his heat is over. Like I said, I really don’t know what will happen.”

Hyunwoo sighed into the phone, still hoping there was some kind of answer he could coax out of Hyungwon. “So what can I do to help him?”

The line was quiet for a few moments. “Let me call down there in the morning, see what I can do. The warden owes me a favor anyway.”

“Isn’t it _you_ that owes _him_ something?”

“Mmm, but all the more reason for him to accept my offer.”

“What are you planning…”

“Why, to find a way to protect your little omega, of course. Which brings me to another matter.”

Hyunwoo wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anything more that Hyungwon had to say. It was bad enough that he’d have to wait until morning to talk to his Chief about his own plans, but something in Hyungwon’s voice told him to be weary.

“How do _you_ feel now?” Hyungwon asked. “And I don’t mean in regards to Hoseok. I mean, _physically_.”

A question that caught Hyunwoo off guard, so he blurted out the first thought that popped into his head. “Like I want to fuck the worry away.” The line went dead before he could say another word. He re-dialed Hyungwon’s number, but each time, it went straight to voicemail. He typed a message that said, _If you’re planning on coming over, don’t,_ but he didn’t send it.

Half an hour later, there was a knock at his door.

~ ~ ~

Hyungwon was leaning casually against the doorframe when Hyunwoo reluctantly opened it. He looked like he’d just stepped off a kinky catwalk, dressed in tight leather pants and a button down that spilled off his shoulders. Around his neck was a matching leather choker lined with little silver spikes and thin chains that flowed down to his torso and hooked onto a strap that circled his waist. His long, white hair framed darkly accented features, and the scent that matched his own- minus the pheromones, hung heavy in the air around him.

But past that scent, there was another, and Hyunwoo felt his fingertips start to tingle when he breathed it in.

_“_ If you’re planning on trying to get me to go out clubbing, think again,” Hyunwoo said, leaving the doorway and the stunning alpha to invite himself inside.

“Oh,” Hyungwon purred. “This isn’t for others… _This_ , is all for you.”

Hyunwoo crooked an eyebrow as he sat down at the kitchen table. “Did you not hear _everything_ I told you earlier?”

“I did. Especially the last part. It sounded like an invitation to me.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Oh really? Then why has your scent shifted?” Hyunwoo didn’t have an answer to that because he wasn’t even aware that it had. “With your omega locked up, and your body desperate to come down from such a high as the contents of that vial, it makes sense that all you’d want to do is fuck, my friend.”

“I’m not desperate.” He snarled a bit when Hyungwon chuckled. “And you should’ve warned me about how I’d feel once I stopped taking that shit.”

Hyungwon shrugged and strode over to Hyunwoo and parted the older alpha’s legs. He moved to stand between them and placed his hands on Hyunwoo’s shoulders. “Then tell me to leave. If you really don’t want this, I’ll go.”

Something in Hyunwoo’s mind wasn’t completely sure that was a true statement. And that new scent, whatever it was, was blurring the edges of his mind. “This isn’t right, Hyungwon. Alphas don’t fuck other alphas.”

“Ahh, but that’s just because they are convinced they can’t handle it. That their biology will constantly remind them they’re not meant to be doing what they most want to do.” He bent down and tipped Hyunwoo’s chin up. “If they only knew how much pleasure they could experience if they just stopped fighting. Let me show you what you’ve been missing, _hyung_.”

Hyunwoo wanted to resist; knew that telling him no was the right thing to do, but when Hyungwon kissed him, he didn’t pull away. He allowed the kiss, and further allowed the younger alpha to straddle him and wrap long, thin arms around his shoulders. The kiss felt different than before- almost greedy, almost dominant as their tongues moved together and Hyungwon’s hands went into his hair. He could feel himself growing harder and harder with each roll of Hyungwon’s narrow hips. The leather made a grinding sound, but soon muffled in the background when Hyungwon started to moan into his mouth and force the kiss deeper.

Trailing big hands up the younger alpha’s back, Hyunwoo found himself feeling something he’d never felt before; something he was sure alphas weren’t supposed to feel- _submissive_. His fingers twisted in Hyungwon’s loose shirt, but Hyungwon gripped his hair even harder and craned his head back, breaking the kiss.

“Forget about your biology, Hyunwoo,” he hissed. “Forget about that omega and tell me what you _really_ want.”

The words wouldn’t leave Hyunwoo’s lips, no matter how hard he tried to force them out, so he let go of Hyungwon’s shirt and reached down between his legs, palming the younger alpha’s erection. It was like his hands had moved on their own, and every sharp sense he had was filled down to nothing.

Hyungwon brought his lips to Hyunwoo’s ear and nipped at the lobe. “That’s what I thought.”

~ ~ ~

Hyunwoo was in a daze by the time Hyungwon stood him up and led him to the bedroom that still smelled like Hoseok. He planted his hands on the edge of the bed and let Hyungwon strip him of his slacks and boxer briefs, then watched over his shoulder as the boy behind him shed his own clothing, one slow reveal at a time.  Once he was mostly naked, Hyungwon knelt down and smoothed his hands over Hyunwoo’s ass. Only the choker and chained harness stayed on.

Hoseok had eaten his ass before, many times, so this wouldn’t be something totally foreign to him, though he was sure Hyungwon was planning on doing much more than that, especially when he asked where Hyunwoo kept the lube.

“I don’t have any,” Hyunwoo said, feeling his legs start to tremble when Hyungwon trailed a finger down his backside. “Not like I need it with Hoseok.” In the deep recesses of his mind, he was screaming at himself to stop.

Hyungwon t’sked him and retrieved a small bottle from the depths of his leather pants. “Good thing I always come prepared then.”

The moment the bottle cap popped open, Hyunwoo froze. His stare was locked on the wall in front of him now, teeth clamped together and hands gripping the sheets so tightly he could surely tear the bed in half if he wanted to do so. When Hyungwon coated his fingers in the lube and stepped up behind him again, panic finally rushed him like a great wave and he pushed himself up and spun around.

“Wait,” he said, grabbing Hyungwon’s hands. The younger alpha cocked a hip and shot him a mildly displeased look. “We can’t do this, Hyungwon. It’s not right, not with everything that’s happening.”

“You mean _you_ can’t do this,” Hyungwon said, tossing the bottle aside and finding the nearest towel to clean his hands. Hyunwoo was surprised that he wasn’t protesting more.

“I won’t do this to Hoseok. It isn’t fair to him, or me, or anyone for that matter.”

Hyungwon scoffed and pulled his pants back on and drew the shirt over his head. The annoyance on his face and in his body language was clear, but his words had no bite. Just like the flip of a switch, it was over.

Once dressed and standing in the doorway to Hyunwoo’s room, he gave the older alpha a final once-over. “So you know, I’m done dealing with your constant back and forth. If you need help again, don’t call me.”

Hyunwoo watched as he left the room. The sudden reality of what almost happened hit him like a truck, and he fell back onto his bed, twisting his fingers in his hair and wiping the sweat from his brow. His attraction to Hyungwon may have been a real thing, but so were the feelings he had for Hoseok; feelings he was sure he had under control. The longer he thought about it, the more relieved he felt knowing Hyungwon would be at least somewhat out of the picture. He needed to focus on Hoseok, and Hoseok alone; get him out of jail, get him home safe, and make sure he stayed out of trouble,,, no matter the cost.

  
  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

“I need you to schedule me down at max, for at least a few hours a day until I say otherwise.”

Hyunwoo’s hands were clasped on the edge of his Chief’s desk, white knuckled and veins popped as his aggravation continued to fester. He’d been in the office for ten minutes already, sure he could convince his boss of what he knew needed to happen, but so far, he hadn’t made any headway on the subject, and his patience was wearing thin.

“Hyunwoo, you’re a cop, not a corrections officer. Your job is here, and it’s going to stay here.”

“Jooheon’s a cop and he’s down there for half his shifts. Bring him back up and let me take his place.”

“This isn’t up for discussion.”

Hyunwoo released the desk and balled his fists. “Then I quit!”

“Bullshit you do. Son, need I remind you that you’re already skating on thin ice here? That little stunt you pulled the other day should’ve gotten you suspended, but we’re already short one officer, so consider yourself damn lucky and get the fuck out of my office.”

It took everything Hyunwoo had to not knock his boss halfway across the room. Right or not, the man had no idea just how important it was for an omega in Hoseok’s condition to be protected, and solitary was only a temporary fix. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long, slow breath, reining in any unwanted urges he had. “Please, Chief. Just a few hours a day. I’ll work doubles if I have to. You’ve got to understand how important this is.”

The Chief leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “This is about that omega, isn’t it?” When Hyunwoo nodded, he set his elbows on the desk and folded his hands. “Hate me if you want, Son, but that boy needs to do the time for his actions. I told you before that I was done looking the other way, and I meant it. You want to do something to help him? Leave him be, let him serve his time, and move on with your life.”

Hyunwoo didn’t allow the Chief anything but bared teeth and an unruly stare before he left the office. He knew the man was right, but that didn’t change the fact that Hoseok was locked away in some deep, dark cell, probably writhing in pain at this point, and surely begging for help that wouldn’t come. The only thing he could do was hope that the respect he’d gained while working at the max facility was enough to give Hoseok the protection he needed until he could figure out how to get him out for good. At the very least, he could try and convince his former coworkers to allow him visitation once a day, if not more.

The hours he’d have to clock before his shift was over would be an unwelcomed aggravation, but Hoseok was worth it, and he’d do anything to prove that, if only to convince himself.

 

~

 

Changkyun was already waiting with a visitation waiver in his hand when Hyunwoo reached the front desk, but the look on his face was far from what it had been the day before. Hyunwoo had texted him earlier, instructing him to do whatever it took to get the visitation rights pushed through, but even his biggest effort had only granted the alpha three weekly visits, and those visits were only allowed if Hoseok wasn’t contained in solitary.

“There’s got to be something more you can do,” Hyunwoo said as he held the paper with a shaking hand.

“You know if there was more I could do, I would, hyung. Only other option is to post his bail.”

“Like I have that much fucking money just lying around,” Hyunwoo scoffed. “Why the hell is it so high, anyway?”

“Cause the guy Hoseok beat up is still in the hospital, in critical condition. He dies, and your omega is-.”

Hyunwoo raised a hand and stopped him. “Don’t fucking say it.”

Changkyun sighed. “I don’t know what else to tell you. As long as he’s in solitary, you can’t see him. But you’ve got three times a week if they take him out. It’s your call.”

“Decisions, decisions,” said a familiar voice from behind Hyunwoo. Hyungwon strode up beside him as he whirled around. “Aren’t you in quite a, _predicament_.”

“You wanna keep those pretty teeth I suggest you shut the fuck up,” Hyunwoo growled.

Hyungwon raised his hands in feigned self defense. “If only you had a _real_ man on the inside- preferably someone better versed in our ways than your little friend Jooheon.”

“You say that like I don’t have others willing to help.”

“Umm, hyung?” Changkyun tapped at the glass to get Hyunwoo’s attention. “Besides me and Jooheon, you really don’t. Minhyuk said he wanted nothing more to do with it, and everyone else said it wasn’t worth the possible repercussions.”

Hyunwoo was filled with so much anger and worry that he couldn’t form a coherent sentence. The veins in his neck looked as though they would snap at any moment, and beads of sweat were streaming down his face. “Thought you said you weren’t going to help anymore,” he said, glaring at Hyungwon.

The younger alpha shrugged and snatched a stack of papers when Changkyun slid them through the opening in the glass. “I lied,” he said in the most nonchalant tone. “You want help with your omega, follow me.”

Hyunwoo slid the visitation paper back to Changkyun. “Hold onto this, and don’t let anyone do anything to Hoseok until I’m back.”

 

~

 

Each step Hyunwoo took as he followed Hyungwon through the twisting corridors of the penitentiary sent a shock through his system, begging him to snap the younger alpha’s neck at every opportunity. His rage had boiled over to the point where his outward appearance was completely stoic, despite the battle burning him from the inside out.

Though he still wanted to talk to his connects on the inside personally, he trusted that the young beta had done everything within his power to bend the rules for him; what he’d gotten was significantly more than anyone else would receive, but it didn’t make the whole situation any easier.

“Let me guess,” Hyunwoo said as they approached the final door at the end of a long hallway. “You got your job back.”

Hyungwon pushed through the door and flipped on the light. “It was only a matter of time, really. Being cooped up in that house for so long was driving me mad.” He tossed his bag and the stack of papers on his desk. “My advances being denied didn’t help that madness.”

“Exactly why I want to know the _real_ reason you’re doing this,” Hyunwoo said, shutting the door behind them. “Whose ass did you have to kiss to be let back in here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I gave the warden what he’d been waiting for all this time. He gets all the omegas to take it, and we have no more issues with unwanted heats.”

Hyunwoo placed his hands on the edge of Hyungwon’s desk. The fact that Hyungwon had lied and previously told him the serum for omegas wasn’t finished frayed every last nerve in his body. He was positively livid. “And you get to fulfill all your addictions.”

“Exactly.”

“This is beyond fucked up, Hyungwon. And you and I both know it.”

“Maybe, but as long as I’m in here, I can help keep your little omega safe and sound.”

Hyunwoo growled lowly. “In exchange for what.”

Hyungwon grinned and tapped his fingers together. “You allow me to study him. I’ll make sure he’s put in a cell by himself, given extra protection whenever he’s out on the block, and granted sessions with me of at least two hours per day. I merely want to find out what makes him tick; why he seems so different from other omegas.” He cracked his fingers then stretched back and laced them behind his head. “Do we have a deal?”

Not a single ounce of Hyunwoo was sure that this was a good idea, but until he could figure out a better option, he had little choice but to go along with what Hyungwon was offering him. “If he gets hurt, I’ll have your license, _and_ your head,” he said as they shook on the deal. “And that’s a promise.”

 

~

 

“I wish there was something more I could do, hyung,” Jooheon said as he poured a drink for himself and Hyunwoo. One of the few humans that Hyunwoo could call a friend, Jooheon was also someone that could be trusted, even if that meant his job was a stake. After his shift at the max facility had ended, he’d stopped by Hyunwoo’s to see how he was doing.

“I know, Jooheon, and I thank you for it,” Hyunwoo said, taking the drink and downing it in one shot. “I just know that Hyungwon is up to no good, and it scares the shit out of me.”

Jooheon sat down across from Hyunwoo at the table and lightly clinked their glasses together. “At least now you can keep track of _him_ , too, right?”

“He’s different though, and I can’t place my finger on what it is. I’m used to him being a pompous ass, but it’s mostly for show. Now, he just seems, devious. Like he’s got some grand plan he’s not letting anyone else in on… I think he’s dangerous, Jooheon.”

“Exactly why I’ll keep an eye on him. If I get a sense that things are happening that shouldn’t, I’ll call him out on it. I’ll go straight to the warden if I have to.”

Again, Hyunwoo had no choice but to go along with what was being offered to him. Jooheon may not have completely understood the alpha, beta, omega dynamics, but his loyalty to friendship was worth its weight in gold.

It was a waiting game now- wait until the first day of visitation arrived, wait for Kihyun to return to work, wait to find out how the guy Hoseok had sent to the hospital was recovering. Hyunwoo was a patient alpha, but this would definitely be his biggest test yet.

 

~

Instead of sleeping that night, Hyunwoo cleaned every inch of his small apartment. The lingering scent of Hoseok’s heat was everywhere, and with no more X to keep the beast at bay, the next best thing was distraction. At least his rut was over.

 

~

 

The Station was seemingly back to normal when he arrived with the nervous energy of one too many cups of coffee and absolutely no clue how to address Kihyun. He’d been made aware that the beta would be returning to work today, despite his pleas for a few more days off. Small town or not, they couldn’t be down this many officers for long.

 

Hyunwoo was at his desk when Kihyun came up to greet him. Seeing the thick cast on the beta’s arm shot bile into the back of his throat, but he choked it down and stood up to face him.

“I know a thousand apologies will never be good enough,” he said, finding it almost impossible to meet Kihyun’s eyes. Despite his calm tone, he was seething inside, sure that Kihyun had something to do with Hoseok being processed so quickly.

“I’m not mad at you,” the beta responded, sitting down on the edge of Hyunwoo’s desk. “I know why you did what you did.”

Hyunwoo stared at Kihyun with a befuddled look. “My rut is no excuse to hurt you, Kihyun. _Nothing_ is a good enough excuse.”

The beta sighed and reached out for Hyunwoo’s hand, insistent until the alpha finally allowed it. He seemed calm and forgiving as well, but Hyunwoo was still sure there were falsities hidden behind his ways. “I’m not saying that it is, was, or ever will be. I’m saying that I forgive you and just want to put this all behind us. Can you do that?”

Every part if Hyunwoo wanted to say yes, wanted to circle the desk and wrap his big arms around Kihyun and deliver that thousand apologies whether he needed to or not. But when Hyunwoo stood up towards the beta, it caused him to unlock their hands and jump down off the desk, and Hyunwoo backed away immediately.

“Forgiveness or not,” Kihyun said. “It’s still going to take time for me to be around you again. I don’t know what I want for us anymore, and I don’t know what you want either, but I _do_ know that we can’t be like we were before.” He gritted his teeth, just enough to make it obvious. “You’ve made damn sure of that.”

“Kihyun-.”

“You love Hoseok, and despite all the messed up shit he’s gotten himself into, nothing is going to change that.” With his good hand, he smoothed the non existent wrinkles from his shirt and squared his shoulders. “I hope, for your sake, he gets out, gets his shit together, and you both can have some kind of a normal life. I really do hope for that, hyung.”

Hyunwoo watched, still slightly bewildered, as Kihyun walked away. He sat back down at his desk and ran his fingers through his hair, knowing the mindless action would probably further his mildly disheveled appearance, but not giving a single fuck. Soon, he realized that Kihyun’s hopes for him were his hopes as well, and also that he would be completely willing to do whatever it took to keep Hoseok safe, no matter what.

 

~

 

“Your photos don’t do you justice,” Hyungwon said as he gestured for Hoseok to sit down. “You’re quite the fine specimen.”

Even through shaking eyes and a timid expression, Hoseok stared daggers at the apha. “I’m not a fucking specimen,” he shot. “Now why am I here.”

“You were told why you’re seeing me. Have you forgotten already?”

“I was told that the prison therapist was a friend of Hyunwoo’s, and that if I complied, I could see him a few times a week. That’s it.”

“Don’t you trust your alpha?”

“Of course I do, but friend or not, I trust no one but Hyunwoo. The fact that I’m in here because of something _you_ gave to him makes me want to trust you even less. Trust is an earned thing, Hyungwon, and you haven’t earned it yet.”

“Surely Hyunwoo told you all about me, all about our, _relationship._ ”

Hoseok shifted on the couch and tried to remember the few things Hyunwoo had told him about Hyungwon. But his head was still reeling and his short term memory still hadn’t returned, so searching through his jumbled thoughts only made the throbbing in his temples worse. “I know you’re the one who gave him that drug, but beyond that, I don’t remember much.” He leaned forward and crossed his arms over his knees. “Maybe you could fill in some of those gaps, seeing as you’re the one who caused all this shit in the first place.”

Hyungwon threw his head back and laughed, then stood from his desk and sat across from Hoseok. “Oh, omega. If you think _any_ of this is my fault, we have a much longer way to go than I thought.”

“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”

“My serum is meant solely for alphas, not for drug addicted omegas who can’t keep themselves in check. I’m not responsible for _your_ actions in any way.”

“Then why the fuck am I here,” Hoseok growled, standing up and balling his fists.

Hyungwon stood to face him, forcing him to back down in an instant. “Because, _omega,_ I told Hyunwoo I would keep you safe while you’re in here, and I don’t break my promises. Consider yourself lucky you weren’t brought into my office in chains. But one more outburst like that and I’ll make sure you know _exactly_ what your place is. Got it?”

Hoseok pursed his lips and bit back the overwhelming urge to cry. Though the serum’s effects had finally started to wear off, the recovery and withdrawal was nothing like anything he’d ever felt before, and it terrified him to his core. Seeing the way Hyungwon’s eyes shifted in color as his expression changed forced him to give a nod and sit back on the couch.

“That’s better,” Hyungwon said, sitting across from him. “Now, we can begin.”

 

~

 

“This is maddening,” Hyunwoo said as he paced the waiting room floor with his fists balled and his nostrils flared. “How much longer before Minhyuk brings him down?”

Changkyun leaned closer to the window that separated them. “He was in with Hyungwon, so, I guess whenever they’re done.”

Just the mention of the younger alpha’s name brought the bile up into Hyunwoo’s throat. “I don’t trust that alpha,” he said through his teeth.

“Didn’t you guys used to be friends?”

Hyunwoo stopped dead in his tracks. “I thought we were. Not so sure anymore. But the more I think about it, the sicker I get at the thought of him having access to Hoseok.”

Changkyun wasn’t sure how to respond. He wanted to say something that would calm the alpha, though nothing he could think of seemed like it would help. He sat back in his chair with a forlorn expression. “I’m sorry, hyung. I really wish there was more that I could do.”

“It’s ok. You’re looking out for Hoseok. Just that helps.” A tap on the glass of the waiting room door turned his attention. Minhyuk was signaling for him to come through.

 

~

 

“I don’t trust him, hyung,” Hoseok said, gripping Hyunwoo’s hands like he’d die if he let them go. “I know I said I wanted to meet with him, but-.”

“Don’t say anything more about him,” Hyunwoo said with a quiet tone. He glanced over Hoseok’s shoulder towards Minhyuk, who was waiting by the far door. “I don’t trust him either, anymore. God only knows what he’s really up to. Just, don’t let him manipulate you, ok? If he tries to do something that you don’t want, tell Jooheon.”

Hoseok nodded and found Hyunwoo’s eyes again. “What if he does something, and I can’t stop him.” His voice trailed off like an echo lost on a cool breeze.

If only Hoseok wasn’t an omega. Standing up to an alpha in charge _could_ be the death of him. At the same time, biology aside, Hyunwoo was sure that Hoseok’s strength could best Hyungwon’s any day.

He squeezed Hoseok’s hands and leaned down closer to him. “Do what you think is right, Hoseok. And know that I’ll do anything I can to get you out of here.”

  



	9. Chapter 9

Hyunwoo couldn’t sleep.

Between working overtime in hopes of getting the Chief’s approval, not knowing fully what was going to happen to Hoseok, and Kihyun’s sudden and relentless string of needy, desperate messages, his brain was wired and cranked up to eleven.

He hadn’t responded to any of Kihyun’s texts, sure there was some kind of hidden agenda in them, but the urge to call Hyungwon and find out what he and Hoseok had talked about during their first few sessions was becoming an overwhelming need. And it would be another day before he was able to see Hoseok again.

Jooheon mentioned that, so far, things seemed normal with Hoseok at the prison. He kept his head down whenever he was out in the yard and not running laps around the makeshift track, and he hadn’t given Jooheon any inclination that Hyungwon had crossed any kind of boundary with him. On the outside, all was well, but Hyunwoo knew the way things worked when the right palms were greased with the right amount of incentive, and Hoseok was a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

One bit of information he was grateful for, was finding out who the man was that Hoseok had injured. He could thank Kihyun for that, at least.

~

At three am, there was a knock at his door.

Hesitant, and with gun in hand, he opened it to find Kihyun waiting on the other side.

“I didn’t read your messages for a reason,” he said, shutting the door behind the beta as he breezed by without being welcomed inside.

“But you saw them, when they popped up, right?” Hyunwoo shrugged and crashed down onto the couch. Kihyun sat down across from him. His small hands were trembling like he was cold, but the apartment and the night outside were warm and comfortable. “So, you saw that I met with that new prison therapist then.”

Hyunwoo stopped breathing for a moment and shot a worried glare at Kihyun. “Why, the fuck, would you need to see him.”

“I’m troubled, hyung. I have issues that need to be dealt with, and he’s qualified to handle all of them.”

“Don’t get caught up with him, Kihyun. He’s not what he seems.”

Kihyun scoffed. “What, a good lay? Because I can attest to the fact that he sure as fuck is.”

“Y- you didn’t.” Hyunwoo’s hands were shaking now, but not for the same reasons as Kihyun’s; his rage and worry and fear were bubbling up together like a dangerous cocktail.

Kihyun leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “I sure as hell did, and it was amazing.”

“So, what, you just let him fuck you? Right there in his office?”

The beta slid down off the chair and onto his knees. “Oh, he didn’t fuck me, hyung.” With a little shuffle forward, he was at Hyunwoo’s feet. “I fucked him.”

Hyunwoo was frozen in place. He didn’t know what to say, or how to react. He was riding an emotional rollercoaster that felt like it was about to send him flying through the air and surely to his death, yet not a single word would leave his lips. Kihyun scooted forward and placed his good hand on Hyunwoo’s knee, applying just enough pressure to tell the alpha exactly what he was after.

Hyunwoo tried to shake his head and force his legs to stay closed, but the beta pushed harder.

“Now I know what it’s like to fuck an alpha.” He rose up on his knees and slid between Hyunwoo’s legs. His hand started to creep up the alpha’s thigh. “And I want more of it.” His eyes looked as black as pitch, and they sparkled in the soft glow of the table side lamp just a few feet away.

“It-, it’s not gonna happen,” Hyunwoo stuttered, feeling Kihyun’s palm brush over his growing hard on. “This shit- it’s not right, Kihyun. It’s not natural.”

“You say that like I care,” the beta whispered as he pressed down on Hyunwoo’s dick and rose up even further, so they were eye to eye.

And then, Hyunwoo smelled it - that scent that he’d smelled on Hyungwon the night they’d almost had sex. He felt all his hard edges start to shatter, felt his limbs turning to liquid under Kihyun’s touch.

Suddenly, it was like a lightbulb exploded in his head.

The beta was drenched in omega pheromones.

In _Hoseok’s_ pheromones.

“How did he do it,” he said through his teeth. Kihyun popped a curious eyebrow, but Hyunwoo knew the boy was well aware of what he was talking about. “How the fuck did he get Hoseok’s pheromones.”

Kihyun threw his head back and laughed. “Wow, you’re quick tonight. Figured it’d take you a least a good half an hour to pick up on it. I guess they’re stronger than Hyungwon thought.”

Hyunwoo grabbed Kihyun’s good arm and tore it away from his crotch. He began to squeeze. “You want me to break this one too? Fucking tell me, _beta_.”

Kihyun lowered himself until he was sitting back on his heels. His face filled with worry. “H- he just, gave me this vial, said I should put the serum on my scent glands right before I came to see you. Said it would drive you wild. But he didn’t tell me how he got it or who it came from… I swear, hyung, I only wanted to know what it would be like to- to have my way with you.” His voice became a whisper. “I had no idea it was Hoseok’s pheromones.”

Hyunwoo dug his nails into the flesh of Kihyun’s wrist and pulled him up, dragging him towards the door. Before he let go, he said, “Find out how he got it, or you’ll lose the use of _both_ arms.” He shoved Kihyun out the door and slammed it on his scared and pleading face.

With his teeth bitten into his lower lip to keep from screaming, he dialed Hyungwon’s number.

The alpha didn’t answer.

~

The next morning, Hyunwoo was down at the max facility and waiting in the parking lot for Hyungwon to arrive. When the younger alpha finally showed up, he was at the driver’s side door, banging on the window with bared teeth and a growl that could be heard through the pane of glass that separated them.

Hyungwon flitted his fingers so Hyunwoo would back away and let him out.

Hyunwoo knew better than to assault him right there in the lot; there were cameras everywhere, but the thought of slamming Hyungwon against his car and forcing the answers out of him was clouding any rational emotions he had left inside.

Hyungwon stepped out of the car and flung his bag over his shoulder. “I can see that you are seething right now, so it’s wise that you stay back, lest someone be watching us with eager eyes.”

“I will fucking tear your head off,” Hyunwoo snarled. “You’d better give me the answers I want.”

“I take it last night didn’t go so well? Shame, I was hoping that beta could break you down.”

Hyunwoo cracked his jaw and followed closely behind Hyungwon as they headed into the facility.

“Why are you doing this? What did I do that would warrant you trying to fuck up my entire life and everyone I care about.”

“Do you really think that’s what I’m trying to do?” Hyungwon shook his head and walked through the security check. “Shame that you think so lowly of me… Of our friendship.”

Hyunwoo took him by the elbow and squeezed as soon as they both were away from any prying eyes. “Friendship? You think we’re still friends? After all you’ve done in such a short time? You’re even more delirious than I thought.”

Hyungwon pulled his arm free and pushed his way into his office. “I’m keeping your little omega safe,” he said. “And that beta, too. He’s a fun one. I can see why you were getting attached to him. But delirious? I’m hardly that.”

“How did you get Hoseok’s pheromones.”

Silence stretched between them as Hyungwon unpacked his bag and slowly turned to Hyunwoo. A devious expression began to fill his face, and his eyes darkened. “He gave them to me… months ago.”

~

Hyunwoo sat with his head between his knees, ready to vomit. After listening to the all-too detailed tale of how Hyungwon had made a deal with Hoseok- site unseen, shortly before the omega made his presence known to Hyunwoo again, he had left the younger alpha’s office on unsteady legs and with a heart that was pounding out of his chest. He hadn’t even been able to say anything in response; his fear washing over him like a mighty wave trying to drag him under and suffocate him.

Hoseok had heard from another omega that there was a scientist needing a variety of omega pheromones for experimental purposes. He contacted Hyungwon, and the two set up a time and place to meet, but they agreed that remaining anonymous was best. Hoseok was in desperate need of money, so they met in the bathroom of a local club, each in a different stall, and Hyungwon took advantage of the glory hole carved into the rusted metal stall. Once he was done jerking Hoseok off, he’d slide money under the door and leave before Hoseok came out. It had happened numerous times.

What made Hyunwoo feel the worst was that Hyungwon had never told him the details of how he got what he needed when they first were meeting again, but deep down, he was sure that the alpha knew exactly who he’d been dealing with. Hoseok’s scent was unlike any other; there was no way that Hyungwon was oblivious.

And Hoseok, his sweet Hoseok, who sought after nothing more than enough money to feed and clothe himself, had given his seed over willingly, unknowing of just how great the danger of his actions could truly be. It would take every ounce of Hyunwoo’s strength not to grab Hoseok and bust through every door that stood in their way in an attempt to free them both.

When he heard Hoseok’s voice echo in his ears, he perked up, wiping the sweat from his brow and carefully going over to greet the boy. They hugged for longer than was usually allowed, and sat down across from each other.

“I know about you selling your pheromones to Hyungwon,” Hyunwoo whispered, keeping a keen eye on Minhyuk as he waited across the room. Hoseok balked back and tears welled in his eyes. Hyunwoo grabbed his hands before those tears fell. “Keep it together. I need you to stop getting so emotional. I know it’s hard in here, but if you fall apart every time we see each other, I might not be able to help you. They’ll throw you in psych and not look back.”

“I’m ok, hyung,” Hoseok sniffled as he wiped his eyes on his jumpsuit. “I’m sorry that I never told you about what I did back then. I- I really didn’t think it mattered.”

“You weren’t aware that your pheromones could be extracted from your semen?”

Hoseok shook his head and swallowed hard. “I just, needed the money. Didn’t really care what he did with it.”

The already musty room filled with dead air. It was the smell of fear- Hoseok’s fear, and it shot into Hyunwoo’s lungs like a light switch being flipped on. Even though the omega had seemingly calmed himself on the outside, he was screaming on the inside. It was the kind of fear that one had when they were too afraid to say something out loud. The thought of possible implications was enough to shift Hoseok’s scent to one only Hyunwoo could pick up on.

“Has he done anything to you? Or said anything that I should know about?”

Hoseok gave a small shake. “He’s been, fine actually. Kind of a dick when we first met, and I don’t trust him, but he seems to want to help. We just talk, is all.”

Hyunwoo searched Hoseok’s amber colored eyes and surprisingly found the sincerity he was praying for. He suddenly didn’t know how to respond. He was sure that Hoseok would tell him if Hyungwon was doing, or trying to do something to him. But he was also sure that his former friend was filling Hoseok’s mind with dangerous thoughts and even more terrifying ideas.

The smell of Hoseok’s fear faded away just as fast as it had appeared, and Hyunwoo sat back in his chair, perplexed and equally as worried as he had been when they first sat down.

“Would you actually tell me if he’d done something to you?”

Hoseok pulled a face and folded his hands. “You really think I wouldn’t?”

“I don’t _want_ to think that, but your scent just told me otherwise.” He leaned forward again. “What aren’t you telling me, Hoseok.”

“Times up!” Minhyuk called out. He strode over to Hoseok and pulled him up and out of the chair.

“It hasn’t even been ten minutes yet,” Hyunwoo snarled. “I _need_ to talk to him.”

“No, you _need_ to leave him alone for awhile. Coming in here with your raging hormones and bullish attitude isn’t going to accomplish shit. This omega needs ample time away from you. At the very least, let him heal.”

Hyunwoo wanted to tear into the beta like a wild animal. How dare he question anything an alpha of higher authority said or did… But Minhyuk was right, and  deep down, Hyunwoo knew it. Feeling that there was something Hoseok was withholding meant little if he lashed out and forced that authority onto a beta that was not only stating the obvious, but also, just doing his job.

He let Minhyuk take Hoseok away with a promise to stay away until Jooheon told him it was safe, and wise, to return.

Hoseok didn’t protest.

~

“Maybe he really does want to help,” Jooheon said as he set a beer down in front of Hyunwoo and took a seat across from him. Hyunwoo cracked the bottle opened and chugged half of it before bringing his attentions back to his friend.

Though practically void of other patrons, the bar was small and the music low, so Hyunwoo had chosen to take a seat in the far corner, hopefully hidden from listening ears and tongues ready to tattle.

He wiped his mouth and took another sip. “Only if it helps him too,” he said, gritting his teeth. “That alpha has nothing but bad intentions. I can feel it.” He chugged the rest of his beer and rose to get another from the bar. “You need one?”

Jooheon cracked open the fresh bottle he had literally just gotten. “I’m good.”

Hyunwoo returned shortly with three bottles, all of which were already opened. Before Jooheon could say a thing, he downed one of them and reached for a second.

“Hyung, I know this isn’t easy, but maybe you should slow down.”

“Am I not allowed to drink my problems away like everyone else on this fucking planet?”

“Didn’t say that,” Jooheon sighed. “I just- I have to talk to you about some things and it would be better if you were at least somewhat clear headed. That, and, I want you to tell me everything that happened. Make me understand, please.”

Hyunwoo took a small sip and sat back. As he looked at Jooheon’s pleading face, he realized that in the time they’d known each other, he hadn’t really told the boy much about how things worked in his world. With a small nod, he started his story, hoping the human would understand.

~

Jooheon had finished his first beer by the time Hyunwoo was done filling him in. He’d made sure not to interject, knowing that his friend would answer his questions regardless of whether or not he needed to ask them.

Hyunwoo wiped tears from the corners of his eyes before they fell. He searched his friend’s face for some kind of understanding. “Never been happier to be a human?”

“It sounds so, complicated.”

“It is,” Hyunwoo said, scratching at the label on his beer bottle. “And the fact that one of our own is trying to change things makes it even more complicated. Normally I would say there’s a method to his madness, but now it just feels like he’s got the kind of madness there’s no cure for.”

There was silence between them for awhile, Hyunwoo sipping at his beer, burying himself into his thoughts deeper and deeper, and Jooheon trying to figure out the best way to tell his hyung about the things that he knew needed to be said.

“I talked to Hoseok earlier,” Jooheon finally said. “When he was out in the yard.” His eyes shot to the tightened grip Hyunwoo had on his beer bottle. “Hyung, I may not know him well, but he seemed, _different._ ”

“Different how?”

Jooheon swallowed hard. “I know the effects of that serum are wearing off; maybe they’re gone already, but compared to the night he was brought in here, and since he started meeting daily with Hyungwon, he feels like a different person altogether. More, disconnected, subdued almost… Like there’s something going on that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

Though tightly wrapped around the beer bottle, Hyunwoo’s hand was shaking. The slightly worried stare Jooheon had on it caused him to release it and slide it away. Even though Jooheon was human, Hyunwoo could smell his impending fear, and the last thing he needed to do was crush a bottle one-handed in a public place. “I felt that on him before,” he said. “His fear was there and gone in a matter of seconds. Did he say something specific to you?”

Jooheon let out a heavy breath and bit at his lip. His eyes fell. “He said, he deserves to be in there, and that anything that happens to him is his own fault.”

Bile rose in the back of Hyunwoo’s throat again- a feeling he was getting used to. He grabbed the bottle and took a sip, swallowing it down and wincing when the flavors mixed together. “Was that it?”

Jooheon timidly shook his head and glared at his friend with worry written across his face. “There were marks, too. On his arms, his shoulders... his neck. Like pressure wounds. I didn’t dare ask what they were from, but he caught me staring.”

Now it was Jooheon who had to wash down the taste of bile with his beer. As he did, he took the brief moment to study Hyunwoo and make sure the alpha wasn’t on the verge of exploding into madness.

“He told me not to worry, because they were self inflicted…”

  



	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Trigger Warning*** Some mentions of self harm

Hyunwoo’s fingers were twitching around the beer bottle. He pushed it away and slowly clenched his fist, then released it when he noticed Jooheon shift uncomfortably in the booth. “Thank you for telling me,” he said with an unexpectedly soft tone. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Jooheon leaned forward and tried to catch his eyes. “No. After he told me that, he just turned and kept running the track. I kept an eye on him until the inmates were brought back inside, but I couldn’t get to his cell for the rest of the day. I’m sorry, hyung, I really tried to.”

“Did he sound sincere? When he said they were self inflicted?”

Confusion flashed across Jooheon’s face. “Y- yeah, why?”

Hyunwoo sighed and finished the rest of his beer. “Because he’s done this before… It’s similar to someone who cuts themselves; a release. Hoseok can’t stand the sight of blood, and he’s squeamish to anything sharp like needles or razor blades. When we were younger, he found that if he applies enough pressure to his skin, it’ll bruise extensively, and the pain it causes… well, it subdues him, makes him feel better.”

Jooheon was careful with his words. The sudden calmness that had seemed to wash over Hyunwoo was unnerving, like the alpha was a timebomb whose tick had quieted down just before explosion. “I’ve heard of that,” he said. “When I first started working down at max, I was told about an omega who would push blunt objects into himself until his skin bruised. Table corners, silverware handles, stuff like that. The officers only tolerated it for awhile, because after a month or so of having him under constant watch, they found that keeping someone with him at all times was pointless when they could just take him to psych.”

“And did they?”

Jooheon lowered his eyes and sighed. “Yeah. I guess he eventually had to be strapped down to the bed because it got out of control. They kept him so drugged up that he could barely move.”

“What happened to him?”

It felt like the low hum of voices in the bar had dulled down to nothing, and all attentions had turned to Jooheon. He knew no one else was really listening to them, or watching, but the longer he refrained from answering, the more his hands shook as if he was under a spotlight. With a timid voice and a fear of how Hyunwoo would react, he said, “He had a heart attack during his heat, and died almost instantly.”

There was silence between them. Hyunwoo dug his nails against his palms but stopped as he’d done before, seeing Jooheon’s cautious stare at him. “I’m sorry if I'm making you nervous,” he said, leaning against the back of the booth and giving Jooheon the space it seemed he needed. “I kind of feel like I’m going numb to everything that’s happened. As much as I hated it when Minhyuk said I should give Hoseok some time, he was right. I have to trust that if something really bad was going on, I’d be informed, and I could rationally figure out what to do from there. This whole situation with Hoseok is taking its toll on every part of me; my friendships, my life, my job. Maybe stepping back really is the right thing to do.”

“And for what it’s worth, you have _me_ in there, and I’m doing the best I can to keep an eye on him. I’ve got to know though- why don’t you seem upset that Hoseok is hurting himself?”

Hyunwoo sighed and took the remaining beer in his hands. “Like I said, he’s done this before. For him, it’s just a coping mechanism, or at least, that’s what it’s always been. I know him well enough to be fully aware that, no matter how much guilt he’s carrying, he won’t take it farther than that. He won’t take his own life, Jooheon. And maybe, if we’re apart for a little while, he’ll adjust and settle down in there; he won’t let them take him to psych.”

Though still cautious, Jooheon felt himself calm at Hyunwoo’s words. Even having been told the way things worked with their biology, he still didn’t understand fully, so he had to trust just as Hyunwoo did, and do whatever he could to make sure that Hoseok was safe. It may not have made much sense to him, but he was sure that pushing for more answers would get them both nowhere, so he gave his friend a small smile and a nod.

“I’ll do whatever I can, hyung, promise.”

 

~

 

Days went by before Jooheon told Hyunwoo that it seemed ok for him to visit Hoseok again. Each night after work, they spent time together, Jooheon filling his friend in on all the day’s happenings, and Hyunwoo listening patiently and silently praying that nothing bad was going on. To his relief, all seemed well.

After Hoseok had told Jooheon not to worry, the bruises dissipated, and no new ones replaced them. Though still subdued in his mannerisms, Hoseok mostly just kept to himself, exercising whenever he got the chance and assuring Jooheon that he was ok, and to relay that message, along with a few I love you’s, to Hyunwoo.

From what Jooheon could see, Hyungwon didn’t seem to be causing any trouble either. He’d made sure to be the one to take Hoseok back and forth to his meetings with the alpha, and kept a keen ear to the door the entire time they were together.

He even managed to change his schedule around to ensure that he was the one in charge of that back and forth, going so far as to insist that he work everyday to continue it. After a short time, he’d developed a friendship with Hoseok, and Hyunwoo’s relief grew even more.

Hyunwoo stayed away from Kihyun whenever they were at the station together. After a couple days, Kihyun switched shifts with another officer, so he and Hyunwoo only saw each other in brief passing. Hyunwoo also refrained from contacting Hyungwon, a choice that he hoped he wouldn’t regret making.

When Sunday finally rolled around, and he had the day off, he decided it was time to visit Hoseok. He knew it was likely that Hyungwon would be there as well, but he would do his best to avoid him at all costs; the younger alpha rarely took the day off once he was fully committed to something.

It was Jooheon that brought Hoseok down to the visitation room.

“You’ve got as much time as you need,” he said, squeezing the omega’s arm a bit before sending him off into Hyunwoo’s waiting arms. “I’ll be right outside.”

Hoseok let himself be bear hugged by Hyunwoo. He buried his face against the alpha’s chest and breathed him in, and Hyunwoo didn’t let him go until his muscles laxed and he gave a subtle nod.

“You look ok,” Hyunwoo said, studying Hoseok’s features. “Are you eating enough? Drinking enough? Is everyone treating you well?”

“You mean not like an inmate?” Hoseok’s voice was flat but he wore a small smile.

“You know what I mean, Hoseok.”

“I’m doing ok, hyung. I think the serum has finally worn off. It was rough there, for awhile.”

Hyunwoo’s face fell but he did his best to wipe it away quickly. “I’m proud of you for getting through it, even if you had to resort to… you know.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Hoseok said, sitting down across from Hyunwoo and reaching for his hands. “It helped, but I’ve stopped, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m actually really glad to have Jooheon in here. He’s easy to talk to and I can tell his friendship with you means the world to him.”

“He’s a good friend for sure. A trusted friend. Who will tell me everything I need to know.” There was a subtle encouraging tone to Hyunwoo’s voice. Though he was getting the daily word from Jooheon, hearing things straight from Hoseok’s mouth were best, but he didn’t want to push the boy. Thankfully, Hoseok caught on.

“Hyungwon has been fine,” he said, squeezing Hyunwoo’s hands. “We literally just talk, or really, I talk and he asks questions every now and then.”

“Questions like what?”

“Well, we went way back, to my childhood. I told  him everything I can remember, and he asked questions about my home life, growing up with you… stuff like that.”

Hyunwoo winced at the thought of Hoseok telling Hyungwon everything about their lives together. He knew it was inevitable, but it still didn’t sit well with him. With everything that had happened, he was sure, deep down, that the other alpha would store that information and find a way to use it against him, or worse, Hoseok.

“Do you tell him, _everything?_ ”

Hoseok chuckled a little. “Aren’t I supposed to? I mean, I’m not going into _super_ explicit details about us, but if he’s going to help, doesn’t he need to know most things?”

“...I guess, yeah. Just, be careful, babe. I still don’t trust him but I know how he is.” He shifted in his seat and glanced over Hoseok’s shoulder towards the door. Jooheon was peering in and waved when they locked eyes. After a quick acknowledgement, he leaned towards Hoseok and spoke just above a whisper. “Has Hyungwon made you take anything? Or, has anyone for that matter?”

“Like medication?” Hoseok asked. Hyunwoo nodded and furrowed his brow. “Nothing. I told Hyungwon from the start that I wouldn’t take anything he tried to give me, and he hasn’t. I swear, hyung, things are as ok as they’re gonna get here.”

Hyunwoo sighed relief and stood up to pull Hoseok into his arms. Hoseok didn’t hesitate. “Just promise me that if something happens and you don’t want it to, you’ll tell Jooheon so I can deal with it, ok?” Hoseok nodded against his chest. “And, I’m going to the hospital today.” Hoseok pulled back and stared at Hyunwoo with a single, pleading question in his eyes. “He’s awake, and as far as I know, he’s going to be alright.

Tears streamed down Hoseok’s cheeks and he buried his face against Hyunwoo’s chest again. This time, Hyunwoo didn’t tell him to stop, because _he_ was crying too.

 

~

 

Mercy Hospital sat on the far edge of town. Even though it was just a few miles away, the drive felt like it took forever.

Hyunwoo scrutinized every word and every detail of the time he’d just spent with Hoseok, making sure that he didn’t miss something that should’ve been obvious. There were no scent shifts, no red flags aside from his own pride being potentially stabbed at by Hyungwon’s poking questions, no strange indications that anything out of the ordinary was going on at the max facility.

If the guy Hoseok had hurt was truly awake and going to be ok, maybe there was a way to get the omega out of jail. Both Hyunwoo and Hoseok could deal with probation if it meant Hoseok could finally be home.

 

~

 

Hyunwoo sat in the waiting room as merely a visitor, though his cop instincts were nagging at him to ask the guy all the possible questions he could fit into what was sure to be only a few minutes. When the nurse finally called him over, he shoved his cop side down as far as it would go, and followed her through the twisting hallways to the guy’s room.

Weary, tired eyes encased in splotches of reds and purples stared at Hyunwoo as he made his way to Hanjae’s bedside. Immediately, Hyunwoo knew he was an omega. The younger male stared at him, trying to force a small smile despite the long gashes that ran the length of his jaw and down his neck.

Hyunwoo swallowed hard and gave him a smile back, but he couldn’t keep the sadness and worry from his eyes.

“You’re a cop, aren’t you?” Hanjae asked, shifting so he could get a better look at the alpha. “An alpha, too.”

Hyunwoo didn’t ask what gave him away; he had told the nurse who he was despite not being in uniform, and the nurse herself had been an omega. All the secrets he’d planned to keep spilled out before he could even say a word.

“Are you that omega’s alpha?” Hanjae asked, giving Hyunwoo only a moment to nod before further pressing him. “He’s not marked though. That much I can remember.”

“I’m sorry for what he’s done,” Hyunwoo said with the softest tone he could muster. “I only hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him, and to know that he truly didn’t mean to do what he did.”

“Is that the cop talking, or the lover.”

Hyunwoo was taken aback by the question, but he didn’t let it show. “The cop would’ve asked if you were going to press charges first.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. The beeping from various machines filled Hyunwoo’s ears almost as loud as the beating of his own heart. He could tell Hanjae was studying him, trying to find questions before they were asked and searching for answers he just didn’t have.

Finally, Hanjae said, “I’d be a hypocrite if I did something to another omega that has unjustly been done to myself. I know how bad heats can get, obviously. So no, I’m not going to press charges.”

Hyunwoo wanted to scream his relief out loud. He stepped closer to Hanjae and took his hand. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this.”

Hanjae pulled his hand away slowly. “Just do me a favor,” he said. “Tell your omega to find whatever it is he needs to find to keep himself safe. He’s the strongest I’ve ever come across, and if he doesn’t learn to manage his heats, this will probably happen again… The next guy might not make it out alive.”

Hyunwoo wasn’t sure how to respond. Part of him wanted to cry and run to Hoseok telling him the good news. The other part knew that just because Hanjae wasn’t pressing charges, didn’t mean Hoseok was going to get out of jail immediately.

He was still guilty of assault, and there was nothing that could change that. All he could hope for now, was that Hoseok’s bail was lowered enough for him to be able to pay it off. Probation was imminent, but Hoseok being home was worth its weight in gold.

As Hyunwoo left the hospital, he texted Jooheon the good news, with instructions to keep it to himself, then called the station and told his Chief to send over an officer to take Hanjae’s full statement. He waited in the parking lot for whatever officer was available to show up.

No surprise, it was Kihyun.

“So he’s really not pressing charges?” Kihyun asked as he walked up to Hyunwoo in the parking lot.

“From what I gathered, he’s gone through something similar, so he’s understanding.”

Kihyun scoffed. “Doesn’t change the fact that Hoseok could’ve killed him.”

“Kihyun… Don’t make me call the Chief and tell him to send someone else over here.”

“I’m not going to try and change his mind, if that’s what you think. But you know I’m not wrong.”

Hyunwoo balled his fists and quickly shoved them into his pockets. “I’m aware, ok? Can you just give me your word that I can trust you with this? All I want, is to get Hoseok out of max, and get him home. He’ll still serve more jail time, I’m sure, and will go on probation as soon as he’s out. But the less he’s in there, the better.”

Kihyun stared at Hyunwoo for a few moments. If Hyunwoo didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn that the beta was fighting back tears.

“I’ll do what I can to make sure he gets out, hyung… I promise.”

Their pasts aside, Hyunwoo knew in that moment that he could trust Kihyun. He no longer cared about just how much the beta had to do with Hoseok’s sentence, or the underlying issue of why Kihyun had gone to Hyungwon for treatment. He was ready for the madness to be over with, and for things to get back to normal, as much as they possibly could be.

 

~

 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Hyunwoo slept soundly that night, and Monday morning brought with it a feeling like things were finally going to be ok.

Throughout the morning, Hyunwoo and Jooheon texted back and forth, both excited to deliver the good news to Hoseok when the warden allowed it.

But one message changed everything. One message sent Hyunwoo out the door in a heartbeat.


	11. Chapter 11

Hyungwon’s office was unusually cold when Hoseok entered. Jooheon stayed outside the door, frustration filling him when he saw that Hyungwon still had the small viewing window covered with a shade.

“I told you earlier that you’re supposed to keep that clear,” Jooheon said when Hyungwon went to shut the door. “If I can’t see in, how am I supposed to know if something goes wrong?”

“What could possibly go wrong?” Hyungwon scoffed. “We both know he’s not going to do anything.” He flitted Jooheon away. “Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

Jooheon narrowed his eyes. “It’s not _him_ I’m worried about.” He hesitantly allowed the door to be shut, the sly expression on Hyungwon’s face as it closed firmly etched in his mind.

Hoseok sat down in his normal spot and pulled a blanket draped over the back of the couch onto his shoulders. “Why is it so cold in here today?”

Hyungwon took the seat across from him, but instead of pulling out his pad of paper and pen, he retrieved a small packet from inside his suit coat. When he spoke, he completely disregarded Hoseok’s question, then tossed the packet to him. “I’m guessing you haven’t heard the news, but the omega who you almost killed is going to make a full recovery. And, he’s not pressing charges.”

Hoseok’s eyes went wide and slipped from Hyungwon to the packet in his hand. “Does that mean I’m going to get out soon?”

“Most likely, but before you do, you’ll need to start taking those.”

Hoseok rolled the packet around in his fingers, then glared up at Hyungwon. “Pills? Seriously? You think I would really take anything _you_ gave me?”

“If you don’t, you won’t be released. It’s the warden’s new policy for all incoming and outgoing omegas. I’m sure you’ll be put on probation as well, so your intake of those will be monitored daily.” He leaned forward and snapped his fingers at Hoseok. “Just think of it as, an insurance that we won’t be seeing you again anytime soon.” His voice darkened. “At least, not in here.”

Hoseok swallowed hard and opened the package, then spilled the three pills out into his palm. “What will they do to me?”

“Keep your heats under control,” Hyungwon answered, very matter-of-factly. “It masks your scent to all alpha’s that aren’t your bonded mate, no matter how strong it is, and prevents your heat from turning into something you can’t handle. Considering you clearly have an issue with both of those things, I suggest you do as your told.”

On the surface, it sounded alright, but Hoseok was weary for more than just the obvious reasons. Not being marked by Hyunwoo would mean that the alpha could no longer smell him; something easily fixed if Hyunwoo would just break down and do what Hoseok had wanted since they were young. But the whole thing felt like a trap- one that he would knowingly be wrangling Hyunwoo into, and one that he would be walking into blind.

He narrowed his eyes and stared straight though Hyungwon. “Was this your plan all along? To get Hyunwoo to finally mark me? To somehow get me under control?”

A sly look slowly crossed over Hyungwon’s face. He stood and took a seat next to Hoseok. “You’re wild for a reason, Hoseok. Something that I could tell even before I met you officially. Your pheromones are powerful, more so than any other omega I’ve met. I found a way to synthesize them, add them to serums and other medicines, and because of that, I will forever be grateful to you. But these pills, they’re different, my own creation, finally brought to completion with a bit of inspiration by you. By taking them daily, you give Hyunwoo no other choice but to bond you for life- something you’ve always wanted.”

“But what about the omegas that come in here with no mate? And what if Hyunwoo refuses to mark me?”

Hyungwon rolled his eyes and leaned closer to Hoseok, breathing the boy’s scent deep into his lungs. “Do you really care about omegas other than yourself?” he asked, not giving Hoseok a chance to respond before closing his hand around the pills. “Your worry should be with Hyunwoo.” He trailed a long finger up the length of Hoseok’s thigh. “Or, is there another alpha you had in mind to be your mate.”

Hoseok shuddered under his touch. Hyungwon smelled different today, and the scent was forcing its way into his pores. He could feel the first sparks of a new heat igniting deep inside.

“Don’t touch me,” he stuttered, not daring to swat the alpha’s hand away.

“Or what, you’ll make me stop? Challenge my authority? I’m trying to help you, Hoseok. It’s a shame that you can’t see that.” Hyungwon latched onto Hoseok’s thigh and dug his blunt nails into the muscle. “Did I forget to mention that if you don’t do as I say, your sentence will be extended? You’ll meet with me everyday you’re in here until I deem you worthy of the outside world.” He brought his lips to Hoseok’s ear and growled lowly. “I’m giving you an option, omega. If you choose not to take it, I’ll make you _mine_.”

Suddenly, the office door burst open, and Hyunwoo charged through the threshold. “Like hell you will,” he snarled, grabbing Hyungwon by the collar and slamming him up against the nearest wall. “Jooheon- get Hoseok out of here. Let me deal with this one _myself_.”

Jooheon pulled Hoseok out of the room and slammed the door, leaving the two alphas alone.

“I knew you were up to no good,” Hyunwoo spat. “I told you not to mess with me, or my mate.”

Hyungwon had a tight grip on Hyunwoo’s arms, but his strength was no match for the larger alpha. He curled his lips over his teeth and his eyes flashed with shades of amber.

“He won’t be able to leave without taking those pills, Hyunwoo. You should be thanking me.”

“And _you_ should be thanking _me_ for not ripping your head off like I said I would. Hoseok gets out tomorrow without having to take them- warden’s orders.”

Hyunwoo slammed Hyungwon against the wall once more for good measure, then released him and let him fall, leaving him to stew over his failed attempts.

 

~

 

“How did you get there so fast?” Hoseok asked, clutching Hyunwoo’s waist like he’d die if he let go.

“Jooheon noticed that Hyungwon covered the window on his door this morning. He waited to address it with him, then texted me and told me I should get here as soon as possible. I’m surprised you didn’t smell me, especially when I was standing right outside the door just after you went in.”

Hoseok went red in the face. “I am, too. And with my heat starting again...” His soft voice trailed off.

Hyunwoo sighed and ran his fingers through Hoseok’s hair. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“Am I really getting out, hyung? Is it finally over?”

“There’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be taken care of still, but the warden is pushing things through as quickly as he can. You know you’ll be on probation for awhile, right? And house arrest for a short time.”

Hoseok nodded, sniffling against Hyunwoo’s chest. “As long as I’m out, and with you.” He looked up with wet eyes. “I _am_ allowed to still live with you, aren’t I?”

“It’s part of the reason why I was able to get your sentence reduced; warden’s putting all his faith in us, in _me_ , to keep you safe and make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“He should go down to solitary if his heat’s starting,” Jooheon said, trotting up to join them. “Just to be safe. And I’ll make sure Hyungwon doesn’t go anywhere near him.”

Hoseok let go of Hyunwoo and wrapped his arms around Jooheon. “Thank you so much, for all your help. I hope we can spend lots of time together, ya’ know, on the outside.”

“I’d like that.”

Hyunwoo kissed Hoseok on the forehead before letting him leave with Jooheon. For good measure, he went to the warden’s office and made sure things were in order for Hoseok’s release, and informed him of what had happened with Hyungwon.

“It’ll be addressed,” was all the warden had to say about it, but Hyunwoo was sure it would be handled appropriately. And if it wasn’t, he’d just have to take matters into his own hands, and deal with Hyungwon outside of the workplace.

 

~

 

At the station, Hyunwoo arrived to find Kihyun getting ready to leave. It was the one day that their shifts overlapped, but he didn’t question why the beta was already heading out. Things were quiet, but the moment Kihyun realized he was there, his mannerisms changed.

“I’m sure I have you to thank as well,” Hyunwoo said, sitting on the edge of the desk. “So, thank you.”

Kihyun shuffled a stack of papers together and shoved them in his bag. His hand was shaking.

“You ok?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine, and you’re welcome.” His words were quick and nervous. “Just, ready to get home, is all.”

He was out the door in seconds, leaving behind a perplexed Hyunwoo, still perched on the edge of the desk. Hyunwoo furrowed his brow in frustration but wiped it away. He was finally in a good mood; things were looking up, and he wanted nothing more than to enjoy that feeling.

He made himself a cup of coffee, searched the station for his coworkers, only to find the place empty; even the Chief was gone, then grabbed the mail and took a seat at his desk.

One letter stood out among the others. One that had just his name written on it, and nothing else. He peered around the station, knowing full-well that no one else was there, then held it up to the lamp.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so he cautiously opened it.

A single piece of paper, stained at its edges, with one sentence written in the middle.

**_He’ll get what’s coming to him._ **

Hyunwoo was out the door again in a flash, leaving the station empty.

 

~

 

“What the _fuck_ is this,” Hyunwoo snarled, slamming the letter down on Hyungwon’s desk.

The younger alpha peaked at it, then raised his hands. “You ask like I actually know.”

Fear and confusion bubbled inside Hyunwoo, threatening to boil over if he didn’t get answers soon. He was sure that Hyungwon had sent it, but now, staring daggers at other alpha, it was clear that he really _was_ clueless.

“Your omega did many things he shouldn’t have done before he came back into your life. Do you really think his past wasn’t going to catch up to him at some point? I mean, he landed himself in here, didn’t he?”

Hyunwoo raised his hand to strike, but Hyungwon barely flinched.

“You’re a fool if you think that things are just going to go back to normal once Hoseok gets out,” Hyungwon said, sneering.

“What has he said to you. Tell me, Hyungwon, or I will make sure the warden knows _everything_ I know about you.”

Hyungwon leaned forward and folded his hands on his desk. His eyes shifted to a brown so dark, they almost looked black. “That’s doctor-patient confidentiality, Hyunwoo. You know I can’t break that rule.”

It took everything Hyunwoo had not to wallop Hyungwon straight across the room. Just the look on his face was enough to boil the hatred, but he knew things- things that Hyunwoo needed to know.

“You want answers, ask your little omega… I’m sure now that he’s getting out, he’ll sing like a canary.”

Hyunwoo balled his fists and shoved the paper back into his pocket. “If I find out you had _anything_ to do with this, or could’ve prevented it in any way, I’ll have your head- for real this time.” He stormed out of Hyungwon’s office, slamming the door behind him.

“Empty threats, my friend… Empty threats.”

 

~

 

“I know Hyungwon’s an asshole, but do you really think he’d be this stupid?” Jooheon asked, taking a seat on the couch across from Hyunwoo and handing him a beer. “Maybe it was Kihyun. You said he seemed really nervous when you saw him earlier, and that he was the only one at the station when you got there.”

Hyunwoo shook his head and clutched the paper in his hand. He slammed half of his beer before responding further. “Kihyun wouldn’t do this,” he said. “We may have had our issues, but I’m sure that he wouldn’t go this far.”

“So, what about those things that Hyungwon said, about Hoseok’s past catching up to him. Maybe there’s more he hasn’t told you.” Jooheon shifted uncomfortably, but continued despite being wary of how Hyunwoo would react. “You said when you found him in that basement, it seemed like a lot of bad shit was going on. Did you guys ever talk more about that?”

“No,” Hyunwoo said, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. “I just wanted to get him out of there. Once he was here, and safe with me, I let it go. Neither of us talked about it since that day.”

Jooheon took Hyunwoo’s hand. “I’ll keep an eye on Hoseok until he gets out tomorrow. I’m going back in later tonight, and for now, Minhyuk said he’d keep watch while he’s down in solitary. You need to focus on getting things ready for Hoseok to come back, ok, hyung?”

There was nothing more that Hyunwoo could do. Even without speaking to Kihyun, he knew in his heart that the beta wouldn’t do such a thing, and no one that had been at the station throughout the previous night and into the morning noticed anyone strange lurking around.

Jooheon was right- Hyunwoo needed to focus on Hoseok coming home. It was less than 24 hours now, and Hoseok would be safe in the prison, waiting for his release.

When Jooheon left, Hyunwoo cleaned his apartment, making sure all traces of the serum’s scent, and any other unwanted scents, were gone. It was likely that Hoseok’s heat would be in full swing- not exactly the best time for him to come home, but they would work through it as best they could.

 

~

 

Night turned into morning in the blink of an eye. Jooheon had messaged Hyunwoo throughout the course of his shift, assuring him that everything was fine, and when the warden finally called letting Hyunwoo know he could come and get Hoseok after 1pm, Jooheon promised to stay with him until his release.

Hyunwoo brought a change of clothes for Hoseok, looked over all his paperwork again, and even had a chance to speak with his probation officer, briefly, before the woman went back to go over things with Hoseok.

“She’s a looker, huh, hyung?” Changkyun said, snapping Hyunwoo out of his momentary daze.

“She’s an alpha,” Hyunwoo said flatly. “A strong one, too.”

“Hmm, maybe that’s what I’m smelling. Still, you should, uhh, get me her number maybe?”

Hyunwoo turned towards the glass and laughed. “What, you forget how to talk to the opposite sex?”

Changkyun sheepishly shook his head. “I’ve never been with an alpha before, hyung. Pretty sure I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

Hyunwoo looked at him, perplexed. “Do you just stick to other beta’s?”

“And humans. They’re super fun.” He went red in the face. “I kinda want to know what it’s like to be with Jooheon, too.”

“I think you’d have a better shot at him,” Hyunwoo snickered. “No offense, obviously, but that alpha seems like the type to only go after omegas.”

The air shifted. Even though he was a beta, Changkyun still carried a scent, and Hyunwoo picked up on it immediately.

 _Fear_.

Hyunwoo eased him down. “I’m not worried about her, Changkyun. Even with what happened yesterday. There was a scent on that letter, but it wasn’t hers. And I have to be present anytime she comes to check on Hoseok.” He tapped at the glass. “It’ll be fine.”

Changkyun nodded, but it was hesitant. He forced his fear away, instead trying to picture the woman’s long, slender legs, wrapped around his waist.

  
  
  



	12. Chapter 12

“It feels good to finally be home.”

Hoseok had his hands around Hyunwoo’s waist as the alpha fumbled with the keys to the apartment. They both knew that his heat was sure to come crashing into them at any moment, and the anticipation was clearly getting to them. Hyunwoo finally managed to push the door open, and the second they were inside, Hoseok tossed his things on the floor and jumped up into Hyunwoo’s arms, kissing him deeply.

The thick bracelet around Hoseok’s ankle cut into Hyunwoo’s back, causing him to wince, and he set Hoseok back down gently.

“That’ll take some getting used to,” he said, stroking the omega’s hair. “But we’ll handle it, together.”

“I love you, hyung.” Hoseok breathed in his alpha and kissed him on the chin. “You know that, right?”

“I love you too,” Hyunwoo nodded. “I’m happy you’re home.”

Hoseok’s hands slid back around Hyunwoo’s waist. His fingertips dipped into the tight pockets of his slacks. Hyunwoo froze.

“What’s this?” Hoseok said as he pulled out the folded up paper. Hyunwoo tried to snatch it out of his hand, but Hoseok scooted away and opened it before he could grab it. His eyes went wide as he read it, and he gave it back to Hyunwoo with a shaking hand. Hyunwoo led Hoseok to the couch and sat him down.

“It was mixed in with my mail at the station. No one knows where it came from.”

Hoseok recoiled in on himself slowly. Sweat began to form at his temples and his scent shifted. “Why didn’t you tell me about this yesterday?”

“I wanted to get you home and safe, Hoseok. Whoever sent this will be found, and dealt with. You know I’ll make sure of that.” He took Hoseok’s shaking hands and rubbed his thumb across his knuckles. “What I need to know is, do _you_ have any idea _who_ would’ve sent it? I thought, maybe, that it was Hyungwon, but I was wrong.”

Tears welled in Hoseok’s eyes, and he blinked them away. “Maybe it was Kihyun,” he said, casting his gaze to the floor.

“Kihyun wouldn’t do this. He actually played a part in getting you released. He’s on our side.”

Hyunwoo wrapped his arm around Hoseok’s shoulders and pulled him in close. He breathed in the boy’s sweet raspberry scent, let it fill his lungs and settle in his pores. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Hoseok further; they hadn’t been home for five minutes yet, but they needed to talk about Hoseok’s past. Everything he’d kept from Hyunwoo had to be addressed before things got out of hand.

“Tell me what happened to you when you were living in that basement.”

Hoseok stopped breathing. He separated just enough from Hyunwoo to look at him with scared eyes.

“We never talked about it, ‘Seok. Why you were so terrified when I showed up, what that girl meant when she said it was the last time.” He cupped Hoseok’s face in his hands. “What did she mean?”

Tears streamed down Hoseok’s cheeks. Hyunwoo wiped them away, but they continued to fall.

When Hoseok spoke, his voice was meek, his body trembled. He nuzzled against Hyunwoo’s skin, fighting the rush of his oncoming heat as it battled against his fear.

“There were others,” he whispered. “Alphas. They paid me, like Hyungwon did, but most of them met me in that basement. I had an arrangement with the owner of the deli; the girl was his daughter. She didn’t approve of what I was doing but they were struggling for money, too, so she kept her mouth shut and let me do what I needed to do to survive.”

“I know they didn’t mark you, but did they fuck you? Did they hurt you?”

Hoseok grimaced. It pained him to have to recall the memories of a life he only wanted to put behind him. “No,” he said, his eyes falling. “But they did other things to me. Anything else they could to get me to cum for them.”

Hyunwoo closed his eyes and pulled Hoseok back into his arms. Hoseok shrank into him, crying softly against his chest, his breaths stifling.

“It’s over now, Hoseok. You’re safe, with me, and I won’t let anything bad happen to you, ever again.”

“But what about the letter? I don’t even know what it means, hyung.”

“You let me handle that.”

Hyunwoo let Hoseok cry into him until the boy fell asleep. Even though evening was just starting to creep through the windows, he didn’t dare let him go. Being back together meant that it was likely Hoseok’s heat would build even more so inside of him while he slept, so for the few hours he held him, Hyunwoo focused all his strength to keep his rut at bay.

 

~

 

The moon shone bright and full outside when Hoseok finally opened his eyes. Hyunwoo greeted him with a soft kiss to the top of his head.

“That was the best sleep I’ve gotten in days,” Hoseok yawned. He nuzzled his nose against Hyunwoo’s neck, sending a shudder all throughout the alpha’s body. “You smell so good,” he purred, lapping at the skin.

“That’s your heat talking,” Hyunwoo said softly, running his fingers through Hoseok’s hair. He tried to ignore the sensations sending shockwaves through every nerve, but Hoseok smelled delicious too, and his will to fight back was waning quickly.

“We’ve been apart for so long now. I miss your touch, your everything, hyung.”

Lazy eyes trailed down Hyunwoo’s body. Soft, warm hands clasped his waist. Hoseok buried his face in the curve of the alpha’s neck and nipped at the skin.

“Touch me,” he whispered.

Hyunwoo’s body sparked to life, his nerve endings surging with heat.

“ _Taste me_.”

Blunt nails pushed into Hyunwoo’s sides as Hoseok rose up and straddled him. The swell of his heat sank deep into every pore, and the alpha shuddered underneath his omega.

Hoseok didn’t have the chance to say another word, Hyunwoo sitting up and swiftly claiming his lips. Within moments, the alpha had him spun around and on his knees with his face pressed against the arm of the couch. When Hyunwoo shoved his pants around his thighs, slick glistened on his skin, trickling down the backs of his legs. Hyunwoo made quick work of his own pants and lined himself up with Hoseok’s entrance.

Hoseok mewled at Hyunwoo’s sudden rough touch, writhing against him, begging to be fucked. He dropped one leg down along the side of the couch, spreading himself even further, and Hyunwoo seized the opportunity to slip inside.

Hoseok buckled as the alpha’s entire length filled him. Profanities spilled from his lips, caught between low moans and growls. The louder he was, the harder Hyunwoo thrusted into him. When Hyunwoo collapsed forward so their bodies were flush, he allowed the weight to take him down, splayed out on the couch, barely able to suck a full breath into his lungs. But he didn’t care.

It wasn’t long before Hyunwoo was growling against his shoulder. Tiny fangs grazed the peak of his shoulder blades. He pushed up as best he could, pleading with just a simple movement.

 _“Mark me_ ,” he moaned, repeating the motion. Hyunwoo snarled at him. “Please, Hyunwoo. _Please_ claim me as your own.” Tears began to stream down his cheek.

Hyunwoo quickly turned his face away, unable to choke out a single word. In a heartbeat, he came, his knot swelling unexpectedly, but it was too late for him to pull out without hurting Hoseok.

The omega froze underneath him as he was filled even more. His hands clutched at any firm surface he could find. Hyunwoo’s body shook above him until they both were able to still themselves.

In such a heated moment, it felt like everything was changing. Hyunwoo carefully rolled himself and Hoseok over onto their sides, but neither of them said anything. Their breaths were shallow and guarded, their skin dewy with sweat and slick.

It was Hoseok that finally broke the silence.

“Hyung-,”

“Don’t... Not now.”

Hoseok curled in on himself as much as Hyunwoo’s body would allow it. Once the alpha’s knot was small enough, he gently slid out of Hoseok and went into the bathroom.

Still, they said nothing.

Hoseok swallowed hard and slung a blanket over himself. He didn’t even bother pulling up his pants. As he waited for Hyunwoo to return, his eyelids fell heavy, and soon, it was sleep that sucked him under again.

 

~

 

A heavy, guarded voice echoed down the hallway. Hoseok opened his eyes and wiped the sleep away. Morning’s first light was creeping across the floor. Careful, he stripped off the blanket and got up, shimmying into his pants and tiptoeing closer to Hyunwoo’s bedroom.

From inside the room’s small confines, the alpha snarled. Something glass shattered against the door. It flew open so hard the handle struck the wall behind it, leaving a small hole.

Hoseok backed himself up as Hyunwoo came towards him, but the moment the alpha saw the fear in the omega’s eyes, he froze, then reached out for him.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Hyunwoo said, cautiously stepping closer. “It was your probation officer.” Hoseok let his tightened shoulders lax. “She insists on meeting you at her office.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Hyunwoo motioned for Hoseok to sit down at the table. “That wasn’t part of the deal,” he said, balling his fists for a moment before taking a seat. “She’s supposed to come here. And only when _I’m_ here, too. I don’t trust anyone but Jooheon right now, and maybe Kihyun. She said the only time she can see you is when I’m at work, but the Chief won’t let me switch shifts.”

Hoseok finally took Hyunwoo’s hand. The alpha’s skin was fire hot and already damp with sweat. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, hyung. Even if it’s just her and I, I don’t see a reason to worry.”

“Did you miss the part about me not trusting anyone?” Hyunwoo snapped. “You should be just as cautious as I am, probably more.” Hoseok’s gaze fell. “For god's sake, Hoseok, someone was brave enough to come into the police station and leave that note… Maybe I’m being a fool and just shouldn’t trust anyone.”

“You’re not a fool, babe. And you can’t _not_ trust everyone. If I have to go to her office, then so be it. Not like it won’t be known if I end up somewhere else.” He rubbed at the ankle monitor.

“Don’t talk like that,” Hyunwoo said. “If I can’t protect you, then what good am I? Who _will_ keep you safe?”

Hoseok pulled a face and stood. “You say like I’m completely helpless. Give me an ounce of credit, at least.” Hyunwoo’s hands were around his waist before he could say another thing.

“You know what I meant.”

“Then don’t say things like that. Or don’t say them like you do.” Hesitant, he pushed his alpha away. “Go to work, give me the address to Hyojin’s office, and let me do what I need to do, ok?”

Hyunwoo knew that arguing further would get them nowhere. Alpha or not, he hated to push his authority on anyone, especially the one he loved the most. But his fears were still clouding bits of his judgement, and sending Hoseok back out into the world meant letting go. He had little choice but to trust in those he was skeptical of.

With dawn giving way to a bright morning, Hoseok showered while Hyunwoo made breakfast. They ate in silence, Hyunwoo deep in thought with his brow furrowed and his scent shifting every few minutes. Hoseok did his best to keep his own scent under control. With his heat still apparent, and despite his growing desires, he let his alpha do as he needed, and soon, Hyunwoo was standing in the threshold of the door, quietly asking Hoseok to come to him.

“If there’s any trouble, find a way to get ahold of me.” He cursed at himself again for _still_ not getting his mate a phone. “After work I’ll pick up a phone for you.”

Hoseok kissed him softly. “I’ll be fine, hyung… But ok.”

As Hyunwoo left, he grumbled, “I still don’t like this,” though Hoseok let him leave without another word. If things were ever going to get back to some kind of normal, they both had to start doing those normal things, whether they liked it or not.

 

~

 

Hyojin’s office was warm and inviting, her tangy citrus scent just a trace when Hoseok entered.

“Your alpha is one stubborn son of a bitch,” she grinned as she ushered Hoseok to his seat.

When Hoseok had met her at the prison, he’d liked her immediately, though their first encounter had been brief.

“I’m aware,” he laughed. “But I love the big lug regardless.”

“I could tell.” With a subtle flip of her long black hair, her scent spilled out like a cool breeze. Hoseok shifted in his seat, and she reached in a drawer and retrieved a thin scarf. “Apologies,” she said as she tied it around her neck and draped it over her shoulders. “Had I known you were in heat I would’ve dressed more appropriately.”

“I’m alright,” Hoseok said, but his palms were already sweating.

Hyojin was reading through the paperwork in front of her, sharp eyes trained down but at the ready for any subtle movement Hoseok might make. “I’m surprised the warden let you go without having to take the new suppressants,” she said, turning her gaze upwards. “Someone like you could definitely benefit from them.”

“What do you mean?” Hoseok asked. Nervousness was evident in his voice. “Hyunwoo said the warden agreed that I would be alright without them.”

Hyojin folded her hands on her desk. Dark, sculpted nails grazed the tanned skin of her knuckles. “Surely you’ve been told how strong of an omega you are. Those like you have it the most difficult; the deepest seeded heats, the futility of trying to keep yourself under control. You know what it really means when someone says you’re strong, don’t you?”

Hoseok shook his head, but his biceps twitched and flexed within the tight confines of his sweatshirt.

“It isn’t just your physical strength,” Hyojin said, fighting a knowing smile. “Your scent is rare among omegas; not just the predominant element, but those that are mixed within it.”

“Hyunwoo says I smell like raspberries. I don’t see how that could be a rarity. Most omegas have fruity scents.”

“True, but yours has traces of other things. Vanilla, cinnamon, lavender.” For just a moment, her piercing eyes flashed with hints of gold. “Dragonfruit.” Her lips twitched, and she let out a long, slow breath. “The rarest of them all.”

Hoseok’s expression filled with confusion until it brought him to laughter. “No one has ever told me that. You sure you’re not smelling something, or someone else?”

Hyojin leaned forward on her desk. Her irises filled with flecks of gold. “Positive.”

Hoseok was keen to the way alpha scents would shift, but never did those scents change completely; the absolute always remained the strongest.

In a matter of seconds, Hyojin’s scent became something new entirely; something that Hoseok had smelled before, yet could not place. His heat getting the best of him, his first thought spilled from his lips before he had the chance to check himself.

“What is it,” he asked. His conviction wavered, and he balled his fists, dull nails digging into his palms.

Hyojin no longer seemed apologetic, a sly grin spreading slowly. “Something that only the strongest omegas can smell.” She pulled the scarf from her neck and let it fall onto the desk.

Hoseok reached forward and took the scarf within his grasp. “And only the strongest alphas can emit.” His fingers trembled and his palms soaked the scarf in a heartbeat. Every nerve in his body became alight with the recollection. If he wanted to run, he knew his legs wouldn’t work.

Frozen in his seat, trapped within the clutches of overwhelming fear and a heat ready to burn him from the inside out, he forced his gaze upwards, locking eyes with the alpha staring straight through him. He swallowed hard, his heart pounded in his chest.

“...Blood.”

An uncanny scent. One that could never be forgotten once it burned itself deep inside. One that could strike fear in those with the hardest hearts and the strongest convictions. One that could recall memories buried so far down they were thought to be long displaced.

Hoseok had smelled blood before, many times; more times than he wanted to remember. In the seedy underbelly of both the small and outwardly harmless city he called home, and those larger and easier to get lost in. Around concrete corners and ebon alleyways where only shady deals and even shadier people lurked. In the confines of bathroom stalls lit by muted yellows and blues that zapped and flickered long enough to distract him from what was really going on.

His gaze flitted to Hyojin’s hands, past the perfect manicure, down long, thin fingers that flexed slightly whenever he made the slightest movement.

He clutched the scarf tighter, slowly bringing it closer.

“You know the scent,” Hyojin whispered, her former self just an unfamiliar character now.

Hoseok bit his lip and gave a single nod. His eyelids fluttered when he brought the scarf within a few inches of his face.

“You know you want to. Don’t let your fears halt you any longer, _omega_.”

“W- why are you doing this,” Hoseok rasped, that fear wedged in his throat. “Hyunwoo trusts you… I trust you.”

Hyojin laughed and balled her fists. “Your alpha doesn’t trust anyone.” A devious grin spread across her face. “And best he shouldn’t. Not with an unmarked omega like you around.”

With a flick of her wrist she reached up and jabbed a nail into Hoseok’s knuckles, forcing the scarf to his nose. His eyes pinned shut and he breathed in; hesitant at first, then as if the scent was life-giving.

Quiet moments passed, heartbeats skipped. In the silence of the room, the rush of blood through bulging veins took hold.

Hoseok’s breaths scattered. His hand loosened around the scarf. His forced an eye open as much as he could, and shimmering gold consumed him.

  
  
  
  



	13. Chapter 13

The moment Hyunwoo reached the staircase that led to his apartment, he knew something was wrong. Hoseok’s scent barely lingered in the stale air.

He sprinted up the steps, pausing when he reached the door. No other smells were apparent, but his caution remained. As he’d done before, he searched the small space that he and Hoseok called home, hoping that anything would give an indication as to why his mate was still gone.

To his dismay, there was nothing.

Panic stricken, he flew out the door and back down the winding staircase, bursting into the cool night air and pausing for just long enough to contemplate his next move. All that made an ounce of sense to him was that Hoseok could possibly still be at his probation officer’s place downtown, but given how late it was, even that seemed far-fetched.

Concern mixed with fear and rage, convinced that the alpha female was up to no good. He’d been wary of her from the start, and despite everyone trying to talk him down, his feelings towards her now felt valid.

If she didn’t have anything to do with why Hoseok was missing, surely she knew where he had gone...

Time stretched on into agonizing minutes before he found himself at Hyojin’s door. His knuckles burned red as he banged on it, not waiting for her to open it more than a few inches before barging inside and whirling around to face her, angry snarl at his lips.

“Where is he,” Hyunwoo demanded, keen eyes following her as she casually moved around him and took a seat at her desk without a word. Her overly calm mannerisms and lack of outward anger at his rude entrance unnerved him even more.

“If you’re asking about your omega, he left hours ago,” Hyojin said very nonchalantly.

Hyunwoo lifted his nose and breathed in. There was just a trace of Hoseok’s scent left. He stepped up to the desk and laid his palms out flat. Staring into Hyojin’s amber colored eyes, watching the way the corner of her mouth twitched against a sly grin, how her scent hadn’t shifted - all of it built his anger until it was scorching bile in the back of his throat. His sense of reason was slipping fast. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” he growled. “You’re a snake, an alpha out for only yourself… Just like Hyungwon.”

Hyojin fought to growl back, finally cracking through her character, but her sharp eyes stared daggers at Hyunwoo. She wrapped her nails once across her desk, the shrill sound sending a chill down Hyunwoo’s spine.

He balked, but only for a moment.

“Mr. Son, have you ever heard the phrase, ‘people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones’?”

“Of course I have,” Hyunwoo huffed. But he was sure its meaning didn’t apply when one was speaking the truth.

“Then I suggest you control your temper, and stop throwing those stones at someone of higher ranking authority.” She crooked an eyebrow at him. “Especially when your accusations can be thrown right back at you… Your omega left this office on time, and unscathed. If you choose not to believe me, well, then you’re implying something that is far beyond your level of comprehension.” She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Or, are you really brave enough to _dare_ cross words with me.”

Hyunwoo didn’t care that he was treading through dangerous waters, but he reined in his anger and gestured towards her laptop. “Prove to me that what you say is the truth- show me where he is. He’s got the ankle bracelet on for a reason. Therefore, you can track him.”

Hyojin folded her hands on her desk and rolled her eyes. A tiny laugh left her lips. “Mr. Son, contrary to what you may think, I do not have current access to the tracking program that monitors those on some form of house arrest.”

“But you’re his probation officer. Your main job is to know where he is at any given moment. What good are you if you can’t even provide that level of safety!”

Hyojin flexed the veins in her neck and let out a stunted breath. At first when she spoke, it was through her teeth. “My main job, is to be the _exact_ opposite of what you accuse me of being. Trust is number one in this position.”

“Just because you carry a title, doesn’t mean you adhere to the ethics that should go along with that title,” Hyungwon spat. “Or that you can be trusted.”

Hyojin hissed at him low and slow. “Says the alpha police officer.”

The thick air in the office began to shift.

Hyunwoo disregarded her stab, though every part of him wanted to tear her head off at that moment. “I once considered Hyungwon a friend, and he’s a scientist and a therapist, yet he’s become the person I trust the least. You know I’m not talking about that though… How is it that you don’t have access to the tracking program.”

“Had you properly gone over everything given to you before your omega’s release, you would’ve known that the warden is the only one who is able to monitor those on probation.”

Hyunwoo slammed his fists on her desk, and she rose to match him. “I read every fucking written word!”

Hyojin snarled at him. “Back down, before I make you back down… _Lesser_ _alpha_.”

They stood nearly face to face with just the desk between them. If either of them wanted to, their next move could easily be tossing it aside like it was as light as a feather. Their wild scents spilled from their pores, shifting to full anger, irises smoldering like embers.

Hyunwoo wanted to smell something other than anger on the female alpha; he wanted to smell fear. Even at her higher ranking, if she had done him wrong, there was little she could do to control her scent amidst the rage. But he smelled nor saw an ounce of fear coming from her. Ready to pounce or not, she was still perfectly poised.

Sensing Hyojin wouldn’t be the one to back down first, Hyunwoo let his tightened shoulders fall and stepped back. The veins in his neck relaxed, but sweat trickled down from his temples until he wiped it away. “How do I find him. Please, Hyojin, you must know something.”

Hyojin let out a long breath and took her seat again. A sly smile peaked on her ruby colored lips. “He gave no indication that he was going anywhere but back to your place,” she said. “But I will call over to the prison and see if the warden can check the tracking program.”

Hyunwoo nodded once and crossed the room, taking a seat on the couch by the heavily covered windows. Though he could hear everything she was saying, Hyojin’s voice disappeared into the background of his racing thoughts. He’d only just gotten Hoseok back, and now he was gone again. He couldn’t begin to truly fathom what could’ve happened, but none of his guesses would be good. Bile rose again and burned in the back of his throat.

Before he lurched all over the hardwood, Hyojin called him over.

“Apparently, after he left here, he went to the prison.”

Hyunwoo was baffled. “Why the fuck would he go there?”

“He’s _your_ omega. I’ve barely had the chance to get to know him.”

Hyunwoo turned on a heel and headed for the door.

“He’s not there, Hyunwoo,” she said, skirting around her desk and sitting on its edge. Hyunwoo spun back around. “Warden took his bracelet off. Said he didn’t feel Hoseok really needed it.” She shook her head. “Stupid move if you ask me.”

Hyunwoo gave her a snarl. “I didn’t.” Once again, he was out the door and speeding towards the prison.

 

~

 

The max facility parking lot was full of vehicles that Hyunwoo didn’t recognize. Before entering the building, he called Jooheon, only to find out that his friend hadn’t gone into work that day, nor was he scheduled for the night shift.

He told Jooheon that Hoseok was missing, but didn’t give him a chance to respond before hanging up and making his way through security and back to Hyungwon’s office. To his dismay, there was no trace of Hoseok’s scent, and no sign of his former friend.

But the air leading to the warden’s office was thick with it, and he didn’t care to knock before entering.

“Where is he, Jaegeun,” Hyunwoo demanded.

The older alpha with spots of grey in his hair and beard closed the folder he was looking through and shoved it aside. He let out a long, slow breath as he stared up at his former employee.

“Why the fuck did you take the bracelet off? What part of that seemed like a good idea?”

Jaegeun pursed his lips and bit back a snarl. “I suggest you control your temper, Hyunwoo.”

“Do I not have the right to be upset?” Hyunwoo spat.

“Maybe, you should take some time to think about why your omega is gone, instead of throwing accusations around like they’re all the justification you need for your rage.”

Hyunwoo’s fists were already tightly balled and white knuckled. His muscles twitched against the anger built up inside of him, every part wanting to explode.

“Hoseok came to me looking for understanding,” Jaegeun continued. “He said he felt like nothing but a burden- on you, on everyone in this town. He asked me to remove the bracelet with the promise that he would leave the area and never return. I-“

“He wouldn’t just leave like that,” Hyunwoo interrupted. “Not without saying something, _anything_ , to me.”

Jaegeun reached in his desk and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He slid it over to Hyunwoo. “I think this will tell you all you need to know.”

Hyunwoo took the paper and read it. His eyes welled with tears, both from anger, and sudden futility. When he was done, he shoved it in his pocket and turned to leave without another word.

“Let him go, Hyunwoo,” Jaegeun called out. “You’ll both be better off.”

Hyunwoo paused for a moment before shutting the door and standing outside of it. He knew by the time he got home, Hoseok’s scent would most likely be gone. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

A single tear fell slowly down his cheek.

He texted Jooheon and headed for the bar.

 

~

 

Jooheon held the paper Jaegeun had given Hyunwoo with a tremble in his fingers and sadness in his brow.

“I’m pretty certain that Jaegeun wasn’t going to give me that,” Hyunwoo said, breaking through the silence that spread between them in the nearly lifeless bar.

“But why wouldn’t he?” Jooheon asked, handing the paper back. “This at least tells you _something._ Do you think he would’ve just told you that Hoseok left for good?”

Hyunwoo shrugged and shook his head, then slammed back his beer. “I don’t know what to think anymore. You’re the only one I feel like I can trust… It’s almost like everyone else is trying to fool me, to convince me that this is the only truth I need.” He read Hoseok’s note once more before crumbling it up in his hand and tossing it to the floor. “He’s not a burden. Never was.” His voice trailed off into just a whisper.

“Did you make sure he knew that?” Jooheon asked timidly.

“I thought I had… But I guess not.” Hyunwoo swallowed hard and gradually raised his eyes to meet Jooheon’s. “This is all my fault.”

“It’s not, hyung. You have done nothing wrong, and really, neither has Hoseok.” The timidness in Jooheon’s voice started to fade seeing that Hyunwoo wasn’t going to lash out in any way. Though still somewhat unsure of how exactly things worked in their world, hurt was still hurt, loss was still loss. At the least, he knew how to be a caring and understanding friend when needed. “Give him time, hyung. And like before, give _yourself_ time. Maybe, when Hoseok was locked up, it wasn’t enough.” He reached out and took Hyunwoo’s hand to stop it from shaking. “Let him go, and if you’re one of the lucky ones, he’ll come back to you, when he’s ready.”

Hyunwoo gave a single nod, and finished the rest of his beer.

 

~

 

Home didn’t feel like home anymore. Nothing felt familiar.

Hyunwoo had wanted to go to Hyungwon’s, see if Hoseok was there, but Jooheon convinced him not to, and deep inside, he felt that the other alpha wouldn’t know where Hoseok had gone either. And if he did, he wasn’t sharing the details.

Confronting him would only make things worse; make the pain even more real.

His mind raced with unwanted thoughts and his heart felt like someone was ripping it out of his chest. Just to sleep, he turned to the bottle again, losing count when his fingers were no longer enough. He didn’t care how sick he would be in the morning, or that he would call into work and tell his Chief that he wasn’t coming in; if he was fired because of it, then so be it.

… But the next day, both his stomach and his head felt normal. He opened his eyes to the sun casting golden rays across the floor, dancing as the windchimes outside the window played in the breeze.

He sat up in slow motion, expecting the hangover to come rushing at him like a great tidal wave, but the only thing that rushed him, was the feeling of weight being lifted from his shoulders; shoulders that had seemed to carry the weight of the world.

They were lighter now, and he didn’t know why. A part of him longed for the weight to return.

His heart ached for Hoseok, yet he had no tears to cry. His body had needs, yet he felt no need to satisfy them.

The weight that had lifted left him empty.

There was a message on his phone from Hyungwon. All it said was that he had heard, and he was sorry.

Hyunwoo wondered what the younger alpha was really sorry about. Despite his better judgment, he decided to give him a call…

Turning the phone on speaker as he made coffee, Hyungwon’s lazy voice spilled through the receiver.

“Are you calling because you know I’m actually sorry, or because you think I had something to do with your omega’s disappearance?”

Hyunwoo grumbled at the tone in his voice. “Did you?”

“Hyunwoo, please. You should know better by now.”

“Wouldn’t have called if I did. _You_ should know _that._ ”

Hyungwon hummed into the phone. “I’m genuinely sorry that Hoseok left.”

“Did you know he was going to?” Hyunwoo’s questions were just as empty as his heart. He hated how unbothered he sounded.

“I would’ve gotten that information to you somehow, had I been made privy to his plans.”

“He really gave no indication that he wanted to leave?”

There was a pause, just long enough for Hyunwoo to hear something that sounded like the clang of a bell echoing close to wherever Hyungwon was at that moment. The younger alpha cleared his throat.

“Nothing beyond his feelings of being a burden, which you are already aware of… If you ask me-"

“I didn’t.”

“...Seems like-"

“Don’t fucking say it, ok? I’m better off. Hoseok is better off. The whole fucking town is better off. I’ve heard it all and the last person I want to hear it from again is you.” Hyunwoo hung up before Hyungwon could respond, and went about the morning, a shell of the man he had been not long before.

 

~

 

No one said an unwanted word to Hyunwoo at the station. Everyone knew better. Routine set in quickly as he responded to calls, each one setting off warning bells in his head and hopes that none had anything to do with Hoseok.

When things were slow, he sat at his desk, staring at the bars of the cell that had repeatedly housed his lover. If he closed his eyes, he could faintly hear Hoseok’s whines and smell his sweet scent. Many times, he found himself getting lost in the memories, and not a single person tried to break him out of his daze.

 

~

 

Routine carried over as days passed. From work, to the bar with Jooheon- who soon had Changkyun at his side, then home to shower until the water ran cold and Hyunwoo felt even the smallest spark of normalcy again.

Each day seemed to stretch on at an agonizing pace until they blended together. Hyunwoo avoided Kihyun as best he could, as well as the prison, and really, anyone that reminded him of Hoseok. But he refused to ignore Jooheon; his human friend was positively radiant with his new relationship, and Hyunwoo thought it best to be supportive. Even though Changkyun was a beta, there were still rules to follow, and things Jooheon would have to know.

Routine soon turned into dull repetition. The aching hum of feeling stuck and unable to move even though there was nothing visible holding Hyunwoo down. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months without a single indication that anything had happened except that Hoseok had just left and not looked back.

Hyunwoo was sure, deep in his soul, that he would never fully be able to recover from the loss, but it was the not truly knowing that hurt the worst.

 

~

 

One morning in early Spring, Hyunwoo awoke to a note that had been slipped under his door. He stood, barefoot, unmoving, barely breathing, staring down at it before picking it up and braving himself to read it.

**_This game has gone on for long enough. If you want your omega back, meet me at the Pier at 3am. Come alone. I will know if you don’t._ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. I'm in the process of moving to another state and it's hectic af!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter- @_Revel_In_It :)


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